Tezuka's Wonder
by Azali Syria
Summary: Kunimitsu Tezuka was always a person of consistancy. This is no different when he takes off school on the same day every year, October 4th. However his sense of urgency leaves his teammates asking questions. TezukaXOC
1. Chapter 1

**What the hampster?! It's me with another cross pairing concerning a character that I created. So I can expect tons of flame mail concerning this. XD That's okay. Flames make me feel toasty. Anyway, in order to make this story make a little more sense, I put the Seigaku boys a little further into the future, to where having a past relationship wouldn't be too uncommon. I mean a 13 year old with a girl just seems a little odd...unless you went to the same school as I did. **

**_Disclaimer-I do NOT own Prince of Tennis or the characters mentioned. The only characters that I will take credit for are June and Melissa. And they won't really come in till later. So Hoo-haa!_**

* * *

Kunimitsu Tezuka was a mystery. He had a cold gaze and he stood up straight with his arms crossed whereever he was. Even the teachers flinched a bit when he approached them. Few people knew much of anything about him, other than Shuusuke Fuji, Shuichiro Oishi and perhaps Ryoma Echizen. For most, it was better this way. He carried a burden upon his shoulders that many would never take upon themselves to carry. He purposefully distanced himself from others. As if he was afraid to let anyone in. Once a year, on October 4th, he excused himself from practice and left promptly after school.

" Would anyone care to explain why Tezuka books it outta here the same day every year?" Momoshiro asked as he slid on his jacket. Eiji stroked his chin in thought. "Come to think of it, I'm not sure. It is strange now that I think about it." Takashi placed his rackets in his tennis bag. "Perhaps Fuji or Oishi would know. They've known Tezuka for quite a long time."

And like curious cats, they prowled their way through the courtyard to the parking lot. Momo waved a hand to Fuji. "Hey Shuusuke, before you go can we ask you something?" Fuji shut the door to his car and met the rest of his team in the middle of the lot. "Sure, what can I help you with?" replied the hazel-haired man.

"We were wondering if you knew what was so special about October 4th that makes Tezuka take off so quickly." Eiji answered, bouncing from side to side with enthusiasm. "Please tell us you have some idea."

Fuji looked away for a minute, which worried his team members. "As a matter of fact, I know exactly why Tezuka has a connection to this day."

This only added to their eagerness.

"Really? Is it his birthday?" Momo asked.

"No his birthday is October 7th"

"Is it a secret meeting with a girl?" Eiji joked.

"As a matter of fact I guess that's how I would put it." Fuji replied bluntly. The rest of the team exploded with " WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!'

"You mean to tell me that Tezuka has a lady friend and he only goes to see her once a year? Talk about dedication…" Momo replied sullenly.

"Well it's a little more complicated than that" Fuji answered sadly.

"Is she sick?" Taka pried.

"Well no…not exactly." Fuji started. "Look, I don't know if I should be telling you about this." He turned to go back to his car. The others wouldn't let him get away, as they grabbed his arms and pulled him back to them. "Oh come on Fuji, you can't just leave us hanging like that! Just tell us about her. What's going on?" they continued to pester him with questions until Fuji bowed his head and sighed.

"Her name…was June."

They stopped pulling on him and let him go. "Wait…'was' ??" Eiji asked. "Just what the heck is that supposed to mean?" Momo continued. Fuji looked up at them, his face reflecting sadness. "Exactly what it sounds like."

He didn't give them the chance to ask anymore since he quickly made his way to the car after that. The three tennis players looked at each other. "So June is…dead?" Momo scratched his dark spikey hair and sighed. "Man that's rough. No wonder he's so closed off from everyone else. Poor guy."

* * *

**A/N- And this is the easy part to explain! Yey! Lol. Any questions you have feel free to ask and I'll do my best to explain it. **


	2. Chapter 2

**And here I am with chapter 2! Yey for no work tomorrow morning! And even if I did, I would still do it. XD I am very bad with time management. Kay, here's the deal. The first chapter takes place when they're all much older. I think I already explained that. However, this chapter is going to go back to a time before the beginning of the story took place. I'm sure you would have seen that for yourself, lol. **

**_Disclaimer- I do NOT own The Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. The only character I take credit for at this time is June._**

* * *

**A time not so long ago...**

He sat in the back of the room, preferring not to talk to others in his classes. He stared out the window and watched the clouds pass, not caring to participate in the plans of his fellow students. Tezuka faced forward and listened to the teachers, scribbled notes periodically, and corrected when he needed to.

"He's kind of boring" a kid would say when the day ended and everyone got ready to leave.

"But he's so mysterious." A girl would refute. The girls around her sighed dreamily and agreed. "Any girl would kill to be able to carry a conversation with him." The boys would shake their heads, roll their eyes and walk away. "Yea right, like he's ever going to give anyone the time of day."

He sat in the back of the room, passive about the days and shrugging away conversations. It wasn't until the new semester rolled around and he took his usual spot in the back when his whole life changed.

"Everyone, this is June Wonder. She just transferred to our school from Spain." Tezuka didn't look to the front of the room, instead he looked out the window.

"It's very nice to meet you all. I was born here in Japan, but my parents settled in Spain after my sister's tournament was over."

_So her sister is a tennis player who went to nationals…_ Tezuka deduced.

"It's great to be home. My father and sister missed being here after half a year. It was all a rather silly move to be honest."

_Can we please get on with our studies?_ He thought coldly.

"….but our studies are much more important than this discussion. I'm sure if you want to ask me anything, you can ask me during lunch." June replied cheerfully. Tezuka remained fixed on the world outside, but he was a bit surprised at June's reply. _It's almost like she read my mind…._

"Of course Miss Wonder, if you'd like to take a seat in the second row then we'll-"

"Actually, can I take a seat in the back next to the sullen fellow?" June interjected.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. He's very…"

"I think I can handle it. Besides, I don't think he'll be bothering me." June added happily, and he could hear her shuffle into the seat next to him.

At first he paid her no mind. She was quiet enough, and she seemed to catch the hint that he wasn't interested in idle chatter. In fact she was so quiet he almost forgot she was next to him until the lunch bell went off and she let out a long groan.

"School is so long here, I completely forgot about it. And there were at least 8 errors on that equation. Can you believe this guy?"

Tezuka blinked a couple of times.

"I see you don't talk much. You must be Kunimitsu Tezuka."

"……"

"You're much cuter than I thought you'd be."

Tezuka shrugged and took interest in a squirrel climbing up a tree.

" You're so funny. You think that by looking out the window, I'll get the impression you're ignoring me and you'll win when I walk away. Don't you?"

Tezuka's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. June laughed, surprising him quite a bit. It was light, like she didn't have a care in the world. That him being a complete jerk wasn't keeping her down. He turned to look at her.

She was relatively tall for a girl, the school uniform fitting her curves beautifully. Her long, jade tresses curled from her high ponytail down to her waist, and her deep, golden eyes looking upon him happily. June smiled even bigger than before, leaning in closer to him.

For reasons unexplained, he couldn't breathe. He sat in complete shock. Or rapture. Whatever it was, he was completely blown away. Luckily for him, he was very good at concealing surprise.

"Soooooo, Tezuka, it would seem your plan has failed if you're facing me now." June said with a laugh. Tezuka sighed a bit. "What exactly do you want from me?"

* * *

**A/N- I'm probably going to get in trouble for OOCness, but I kinda need it to be this way for a little bit. So please bear with me. I know Tezuka's a little stern, but I don't think he's that bored/disinterested. So I apologize. And if June comes across as really annoying....well...that's your opinion I suppose. Cause she's really not that bad. It's a short chapter I know, but I'm struggling to figure out how I can split these up okay. So this one needs to be short for the next one. And once again I'm rambling. XD Hope to see you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**It's been foreeeeeeeeeever. Okay not really, but it feels that way. Lol. I was working on my Lacuna story...but I just don't have it in me to get anything done, you know? So I was working on this one until I got something going. Sorry once more for the OOCness, but uh...that's kinda what fanfiction is in a weird way. XD**

**_Disclaimer- I do NOT own The Prince of Tennis or any of the characters from the series used in this story. The only people I will take credit for are Melissa and June. _**

* * *

How she had done it was a mystery. How he had let it happen was an even bigger one. For reasons unexplained, Tezuka sat with June in the back of the class and had a conversation.

"What did she say?" asked a student, completely baffled.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, he took the bait and now he's been talking with her non-stop." Replied another.

"So you're telling me that this is the most you've talked in school since you were in elementary school?" June questioned, taking a sip from her juice box. Tezuka sighed a bit. "I don't really see what the big deal is. Idle conversation isn't going to improve my studies."

"Hmm…maybe not, but having a social life doesn't hurt either." June replied after a moment of thought. "Not all people are outgoing and bubbly like you are." Tezuka pointed out.

"You think I'm bubbly?" she asked, mocking surprise. He snorted, looking out the window again. "It's kind of obvious. You just don't let anything get you down."

June played with her nails a bit. "Don't you think you're judging me a little too quickly?" she asked playfully. "I'd be careful if I were you, if you judge people, you have no time to love them."

"I don't think it's in my best interest at this point in time to love people." He replied with a yawn. "Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination" June started, moving to block his view of the window. He glanced up at her, concentrating his efforts in remaining calm. "Different people have different views on love. I didn't ask you to embrace it, I'm just saying that how can you ever let people in if you judge everyone so harshly?"

"Well maybe I didn't plan on letting anyone in." Tezuka replied blandly. June waved a finger at him. "That's not a way to go. You'll be old and lonely before you know it. And you're far too intelligent and good looking for that."

"You think…I'm good looking do you?" he asked incredulously. June laughed. "Well of course I do. A lot of girls do. You just come off as unapproachable." Tezuka rose to throw away the box to his lunch, retaking his seat in the back and faced June once more. June looked at him with a more serious face. "So why do you think I'm bubbly?"

"Does it bother you that much?" he asked, irritation in his voice. "Well it doesn't really bother or offend me…I was just curious as to why you would peg me as overly cheerful."

"I wasn't aware that you would take offence to me saying that you didn't let anything get you down. A lot of people don't have that kind of determination. It's a very strong quality you have there." He stated. June's face tinted a light pink. "Are you…complimenting me?" she asked sweetly. He groaned and turned away from her. " You were!" June smiled brightly, covering her cheeks with her hands, moving from side to side. "Do you have an off switch?" Tezuka interrupted coldly.

Sighing gently, June calmed her face. "You know…interaction would do you some good. But I see I'm overstepping boundaries. So I'll back off. Okay?" She patted his head, only adding to his annoyance, and bounced off to another group of students.

Only when he was allowed to return to his own thoughts did he begin to miss hearing June's. He had assumed that since she was so outgoing, she wasn't very smart. But her comments were so profound; he had been quick to pin her character down. He glanced over at the group of people surrounding June, all laughing at something she had said. Tezuka determined that June was a natural, someone who could blend in with anyone. In a way, he regretted pushing her away so harshly. June looked up from her conversation, eyes locking with Tezuka for a brief moment before she smiled gently and looked away to someone who addressed her.

_What's gotten into you… _he asked himself, staring out the window once more. _She's just some girl…_

The rest of the day droned on for him, relief washing over him as the last bell sounded. He stretched in his seat and rose, reaching for his book bag. Since their conversation at lunch, June hadn't uttered a sound to him. Tezuka took a quick glance around to see if he could find her, but no such luck. _How in the world did she get out so fast? Wait…why do I care? She's not my concern…_ placing his books in his bag carefully; he gave a quick nod to the teacher and left the building.

He wasn't expecting to see her till the next day, but when he rounded the corner and nearly ran into her, Tezuka was rather shocked. "What the…June?" he asked, stepping back to prevent himself for colliding with her. She gave him a quiet smile. "Oh hi Tezuka. Sorry about that, I didn't mean to startle you." June added with an apologetic bow. He waved it off gently. "Um…don't worry about it. Look I…" Tezuka looked away, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have been so rude to you."

"Is that what you're worried about? You're so silly." June answered with a giggle. "I should be the one apologizing. I did intrude on your solitude."

He cleared his throat, hoping it would get rid of the butterflies in his stomach. "What are you doing out here anyway?" he asked, looking around. "Sometimes things get rough at home, so I walk around for a while to clear my head. My dad can be really grumpy sometimes." June said with a hint of sadness.

"So there are things that even get you down." Tezuka replied. June looked at him, shaking her head. "I tried to tell you. You judged me too quickly. But I don't think this is the time to talk about things like this. I'm sure you should be heading home to get a head start on that homework. You're quite the avid student after all." She complimented. Tezuka shrugged. "Yes but that doesn't mean I start all my projects a week early. I thought you said that having a social life wouldn't hurt."

"Using my words against me. I'm surprised, I didn't think you would take it to heart." June said. "Does that mean you want to talk to me after all?"

"It means that I can't just leave a girl out here alone when it's getting late and she's too bummed to go home." He corrected. June laughed. "Of course. You're such a gentleman."

At first they walked in silence, neither said a word to the other. Tezuka was used to the silence, but this…this felt different. Like nothing needed to be said. That-for once-he felt at ease. June was the first to break the silence, as she stopped walking and just stared up at the sky. "My mother died in a boating accident a couple years ago. She fell overboard when she attempted to save my sister Melissa. Neither my sister or my father have been the same ever since." He turned to look at her, a baffled look on his face. "You're probably wondering why I decided to share this with you. I'm not saying it for sympathy or anything like that. It's just…some days are harder than others, at least for my father. I'm not strong like Melissa. Sometimes…I just have to get away…you know?"

"It sounds like you've experienced your share of hardship. But for your father to ignore you and your sister's suffering…how could a parent not love their child enough to ease their pain?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

"Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have." June answered, her reply shocking Tezuka. "I know he cares about us…but when you lose a soul mate…some people…they just can't go on…"

Tezuka clenched his fists. "Why are you so willing to make excuses for him? I don't get it June. I don't get you at all." She looked away from him, contemplating how she should answer his response. "You know Tezuka…I wouldn't really expect you to…I don't think you really want to get me anyway. The one who should be confounded here is I." She took a step towards him this time, and he backed away. "See that, you just retreated from me. You don't like people. You purposefully close people out, yet in this one day you've talked to me more than anyone. Why? What compelled you to reach out towards me?"

He looked away from her. "I don't know…" he replied weakly. "Because I just knew…you'd reach back…." His answer came as something unexpected to June. That this solid boy that kept up a tough façade to the world was broken. And he had trusted her with such a difficult piece of himself that he wasn't even sure on how to care for it. She wanted to hug him. To pull him close and make him forget all his fears, all his uncertainty. June took another step closer to him. This time, he didn't move away from her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…to upset you Tezuka."

"I'm not upset" Tezuka answered calmly.

"Yes you are, I can feel it." June responded, casually stepping closer to him one more step. He closed his eyes. _She can feel that I'm upset? Is she telepathic? _Her laughter jolted him out of his thoughts. "I don't understand how…given your circumstances…you can laugh like that. Most people would cry and fall into despair."

"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward." She answered simply. He smiled gently. "You're really something…you know that?"

June beamed. "Yea I get that a lot. You should really smile more often. Girls would be more in love with you if you did." He felt the conversation become lighter, and he rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "I already told you that I'm not interested in love and silly things like that. I didn't do anything to make those girls go nuts about me. I don't think me smiling more would be in my best interest."

"Heh, maybe not…but it's really quite beautiful…" June replied softly. Tezuka blushed lightly, glancing away nervously. She giggled a bit at how adorable he was, even when he didn't want to be, and took the moment for herself.

Before he could even figure out what happened, Tezuka felt June's hands wrap around his waist, pulling him into a gentle yet warming hug.

"June, what are you-"

"Please…. just…let me stay like this…if only for a moment longer." She pleaded, burying her face in his chest. "I feel so…safe with you around. Like there's nothing to fear."

"June…." Tezuka whispered. He closed his eyes and returned her embrace. "Take as long as you need." June smiled softly, basking in his warmth.

"Thank you…"

* * *

**A/N- Aw, the fluff fest begins! lol. It's okay if you write me and say it's absolute crap and it makes no sense. That would be your opinion, and I value that...for the most part, XD. No really it's good to hear what's on people's minds. So yea...if her story seemed like a pity-me story...then just keep reading, cause you have no idea what she's like. **

**Thanks for viewing, I hope to hear from you all soon. **


	4. Chapter 4

**

* * *

**

I have returned!! Bwuahahaa. Sorry that it's been forever! XD This chapter started out much longer...but it just didn't work for me. So I had to cut out most of it. So if this one sucks, I sorries!

**_Disclaimer- I do NOT own The Prince of Tennis or the characters associated to the anime. That means Tezuka. I do however own June, hence the none-apology for her OOCness. XD_**

* * *

It had reached the late hours of the night before Tezuka finally convinced June to turn in for the night, and he escorted June home. She had been rather reluctant to leave his side after the hug, the warmth shared between them already tugging a longing on Tezuka's very being. _This is insane _he thought _Kunimitsu Tezuka doesn't act like this…pull it together!_

"There's no one around to see your display, I wouldn't worry so much about it." June replied out of nowhere.

"You're really starting to weird me out with that, can you really read minds or something?" he asked her, shifting his glasses at the top of his nose. June laughed a bit, pulling her hands behind her back. "It would make things easier if I could read minds. But I can't. It just so happens that you're not so hard to read."

Not hard to read? Him, Kunimitsu Tezuka? The stoic, one expression genius in the back of the classroom? The thought almost made Tezuka laugh.

"Is that so?" Tezuka questioned, rounding the corner of the street with her. "How does that work when everyone else can't tell a thing?" Her smile saddened as she glanced away from him, her eyes catching fire from the light illuminating off the street posts. "I think you've already answered that, when you told me that you knew I would reach back for you." He adored the way she caught the light, radiating her hair like a halo.

_STOP that, you're not supposed to let things like that affect you. _He thought, shaking his head to clear the image of her out of his mind. Tezuka stopped outside the gate to her house and sighed. It really was too soon for him. June smiled bashfully and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for escorting me home. You're quite the gentleman after all." Putting a hand to his cheek, Tezuka glanced away sheepishly. "Y-yea…no problem."

"I'll see you tomorrow…Tezuka." She replied with a gleam of hope in her eyes. He shook his head, scoffing playfully. "Well of course you will, don't ask silly things like that. Sheesh, you're so odd." He waved goodbye and set off down the street.

Once inside, June giggled to herself. "For a genius, he can't seem to recall that tomorrow is Saturday…."

* * *

**Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination**

**Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have**

**Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward**

I feel so…safe with you around. Like there's nothing to fear..It just so happens that you're not so hard to read…

Her words rang through his head and he slumped on his bed, fatigue following soon after as he closed his eyes in thought. "What is it about this girl that makes it impossible to get her out of my mind?"

_Snap out of it, you don't have time to worry about things like that. _He reasoned. Sighing gently, Tezuka rose from the bed with a groan and made his way to the shower to relax some tension before bed.

It was a cool, bisque morning when Tezuka finally came down the stairs to the dining room, still wearing his baby blue pajamas. "Morning everyone…" he replied sleepily, still not fully awake. With his previous adventure with June that previous night, his mind wandered for quite a while before he actually fell asleep. "Kunimitsu, you have a guest in the living room." His mother replied, looking away from her cooking.

"A guest?" he asked, eyes opening a little more in alertness. Since when he did have company? Exasperated, Tezuka grumbled under his breath all the way to the living room.

Oh boy am I gonna let them have it…

"G'morning Tezuka!!"

He jumped back in bewilderment as he recognized the voice almost instantly. "J-June?!! What are you doing here?!"

She giggled with delight. "You said you'd see me today silly! Don't think I would let you skip out on that!" June prodded his chest with her finger. Inwardly she blushed, gushing over how remarkably cute he looked in those pajamas.

"How in the world did you find out where I lived?" Tezuka asked, trying to gain some sort of light on the subject. "Hmm…. I just asked around, you know? I guess you're pretty popular in the neighborhood here." She answered with a shrug. Now that he had been given adequate time to readjust his heartbeat, he stood up straight. "So you came all this way to find me…. just because I said I would see you today?" he waited for her to see some sort of problem with this, yet the grin on her face remained the same. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, her smile slightly wavering into worry. "No…nothing's wrong I just…don't have anything planned for us to do…"

Wait a minute, did I just give in?

"Don't you wanna go hang out? You know, be a normal person for once?" June teased, playing with one of her dark curls. "I take pride in not being part of the norm." he replied bluntly. She seemed unphased by his comment. "Okay then…I suppose we could always hang out here…. alone…in your rooooom" June suggested with a sly grin. Knowing there was no way to win this, he pushed up his glasses and reluctantly headed upstairs.

"…I'll go get changed."

* * *

Shutting the door to his room, Tezuka groaned. "Did I really just let her win?"

_Of course you let her win, there's no telling what sorts of things she would go around telling other people if we stayed here in the room together._

Realizing that he was only going to frustrate himself thinking about it, he opened the door to his closet and peeked around. "...I don't think June's the kind of person that would spread nasty rumors though…"he reasoned.

_Maybe not, but that doesn't stop the rest of your family's imaginations._

"Very good point" Tezuka exclaimed aloud.

June's heart leapt up in her chest when he came down the stairs. Considering she had only seen him in the school uniform, she was completely mesmerized. _Even his "casual" attire looks sophisticated._

He wore a simple gray button up tee with a black undershirt, and a crisp pair of black slacks. June scanned his body slooooooooowly. _Oooooh the wonderful things I could picture…._ June thought, a blush creeping on her face. He stood before her, raising an eyebrow. "Are you alright June? You seem a little flustered."

"HAA!! I am not flustered by your extreme hotness!" June blurted out. As soon as she realized her words, she waved her hands in the air in a panic. "I-I mean you look awesome!! Haa haa….haaa…" The blush on her face only got worse as she felt his eyes burning into hers. "Really…. you look amazing. It's almost like…" The thought was too much for her and she swayed back and forth, holding her face with her hands. "Um…" Tezuka started, thoroughly confused with June's strange behavior. "Almost like what?" he asked.

"Like we're going out." She replied sheepishly.

"We are going out." Tezuka answered, oblivious to the true meaning behind her words.

"I mean…like a date" June clarified. She sighed as she saw him squirm uncomfortably. "I said almost. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. I apologize." June added gently. It seemed to do the trick as she felt him relax again. She smiled at him reasonably, but her heart performed an ungraceful flop. _What the heck is wrong with me? Like he'd date someone like me…_ she told herself. "Well let's be off shall we? There are quite a number of places I saw on the way here that I'd like to revisit, if you don't mind of course."

Tezuka shrugged apathetically. "Whatever you want June. I guess it would be good for you to get reacquainted with the city." He led her to the door to leave when his mother came out from the kitchen. "Are you leaving so soon?"

"Yes, it would be wise to get there before the shoppers crowd the place." Tezuka replied, shuffling his shoes on.

"Well you kids have fun. She's very cute Kunimitsu." His mom commented with a blush. June smiled shyly, holding back a blush. "Thank you…but I'm not…. with him…." Tezuka's mother blinked a couple times in confusion. "Oh? But surely I thought…"

"We're not going to beat the traffic this way. Let's be off June." Tezuka interrupted. June bowed politely to his mother, flashing her a bright smile. " I really enjoyed your company, I hope you'll have me again."

"Oh absolutely. Keep an eye on her Kunimitsu, don't forget your manners."

* * *

"Your mom seems like a wonderful lady." June said as she pulled her hands behind her back. Tezuka nodded in agreement. "Yes she's quite remarkable. What about your mom? Was she something else?" he asked.

When he didn't receive a reply, he glanced over at her in concern. "June?"

She jerked back to her senses as he called her name. "Uh…. yea…she sure was…look…can we not talk about her at this time?"

He was taken by surprise. He half expected June to go into a long discussion about how amazing her mother was. _I guess there are a couple things that even June is uncomfortable with…she's certainly unpredictable._

Tezuka froze a bit at the sadness in her eyes. Holding back the urge to sweep her in his arms once more, like the night before, he looked away nervously. "Did you eat before you came over to my house?"

His change of subject seemed to brighten June up because she looked at him with her usual brightness. "Are you going to treat me to breakfast?" Tezuka scratched the back of his head. "Why would I ask if I wasn't going to offer?" She laughed lightly. "I guess you have a point. I am pretty hungry."

Nodding in agreement, he smiled gently. "Okay, off to breakfast first. I know this great place too. Let's go."

* * *

**A/N- Do NOT fear!! I will have the next chapter up soon, since I've already started it. Once I get passed a certain runt in my stories, I tend to write like there's no tomorrow. I've gotten past the one on this one, so it'll be a little easier to update. Lol. thank you for your patience and uh....yea, see you in chapter 5!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well this one certainly looks longer, lol. That's what happens when you're obsessed with dialogue like I am. Which means description goes out the window, lolz. XD Anyway, the reviews for this only get more awesome, so yey! You all rock! And for those who think June is a Mary-Sue....just wait till I get my story with Pixel on here. I'll show you Mary-Sue. bwuahahahahah.**

**_Disclaimer- I do NOT own The Prince of Tennis, nor do I own the characters mentioned in said series. The only people I take credit for are the ones poorly displayed, lol. okay I own June and her family, there._**

* * *

By the time they took their next break, which was right around lunchtime, Tezuka was, to say the least, exhausted. June was all over the place, her eyes never on the same trinket or accessory for more than ten seconds. She was so excited about the entire market. Even if he'd never say it to her, he found her ministrations endearingly cute.

_Stop thinking that way! _He seethed to himself. She left him on a bench to get some lemonade at a local stand, giving him time to catch his breath before she got him running around again. _If you're so upset about you bending to her will, say something about it. Don't let her think you're okay with this if you're really not. _

"She'd probably figure it out even if I didn't say anything" he replied aloud, earning a look of worry from a couple passing by him. "That's just how she is…she knows what I'm feeling even before I know."

_Sounds like a soul mate to me…_

"Well no one asked you…" he muttered, glancing away at the fountain. Was he really arguing with himself over June? This was crazy!

"Are you okay? You look like you're beating yourself up about something…" June commented as she handed him a large cup. He groaned a bit. "Seriously, how do you know about these things!?" She took the straw and placed it in her cup, looking completely innocent. "Know what things? You just looked really angry. Some people were staring at you for heaven's sake." June answered. Inwardly, he sighed. _Maybe I'm giving her too much credit… _"Well you seem to nail what I'm thinking right on the dot sometimes. Like you've been here…my whole life or something. And even my family can't figure out how I'm feeling." Pulling her mouth from the straw, he saw it twist into a smirk. "Sounds to me like we could be soul mates." Tezuka let her laugh fill the air and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I had to do it. You totally set yourself up for that." June replied. "I'll be quiet if you'd like."

"You don't have to be quiet." Tezuka answered. She pretended like she couldn't here him, taking interest in the activities around the park for some time.

"Let's stay like this." June replied after several minutes of silence. Tezuka looked over at her, amazed at the suddenness of her words. She laughed, only adding to his bewilderment. "I didn't mean like…romantically or anything. I know you're not comfortable with stuff like that. I mean in this spot in the park. That way you can rest from the torment I put you through, and we can enjoy the scenery. I'd even be so bold as to answer any of your questions about me, so long as I get to ask you something."

Her proposal left him intrigued. There were things about her he'd like to know. She was confusion wrapped in mystery. To June, this situation had a bit of a double blade, and she sighed gently. She found herself in a predicament. Over the course of only two days, she found herself drawn to the charmingly stoic teen. The feel of his arms around her that previous night left her awake for hours just thinking about it. But he wasn't comfortable with letting people get too close to him. It hurt her to know that as much as she would try, he might never accept her. _But he did reach out to me_ June thought optimistically_ he trusts me…that's a great start._

"So are you okay with that?" she asked again. He nodded, and she turned on the bench to face him. "You are free to ask me anything you want. Don't concern yourself about it being too embarrassing or personal. I'll answer to the best of my ability. The only condition for you is I get to ask you one question, and you answer it as honestly as possible. Deal?"

_Why do I have the feeling I might regret this?_ He asked himself briefly.

"Going once…"

_I mean what if she asks me something that she could use against me for the rest of my life?_

"Going twice…."

"Alright, we have a deal. Whatever I want right?" he enquired once more. June nodded in agreement. "Then tell me about your family some more."

"Is that all one question?" June asked, tilting her head to the side. It was Tezuka's turn to switch roles. "You did say anything. You didn't specify a limit. So I suppose that would all be one question. Unless…" he smirked. "You're backing down?"

" You can't play this game with me Tezuka, you'll lose terribly." June warned.

_I have no doubt about that…_ he thought.

"Well let's see…where to start…my mother lived most of her life in Spain until she met my father at a local tennis tournament. His name is Katsuhiro Wonder, and he's full-blown Japanese, and quite the tennis player back in the day. She was studying to be a physical therapist so she could help athletes and such, so she was at many of the meets." She let out a bit of a chuckle. "I remember when she used to scold dad about the way he played. It was far too aggressive; he had knots in his body every time he came home. Anyway…he taught her to play tennis and the next thing he knew, she was an aspiring champion as well." June paused from her story to look at the kids running around the fountain. Tezuka watched her carefully. She was so sensitive to people around her. June's smile fell as an arguing couple passed by them." Her name was Rita. When dad was in one of those perverted moods he'd slur the R's in her name. At the time my sister and I thought he was so gross…but people always have a way of changing…because of the people they love. " She looked at him gently, her smile slowly coming back to her face. Tezuka found himself smiling back at her. _She looks the most alive with that smile on her face…why does my chest ache when I see it disappear?_

"Anyway, my parents got married after my mom won the women's league tournament, and had me about a year later. That's about when they decided to move back to Japan. We didn't live there long before my sister Melissa was born. She was a frail child; we really didn't think she was going to make it. She could barely walk, since her muscle composition was so weak. My dad wanted to put her through surgery in hopes it could be corrected, but mom wanted to build it up naturally through sport activities. So when Melissa was about 8 my mother taught her how to play tennis." June's face radiated with warmth as she recalled a much happier time in her life. Tezuka unconsciously moved closer to her.

"Melissa really loved it you know? She'd play it every chance she got. Before long, Melissa was in perfect shape. No one would have ever guessed that something was wrong with her. She was so good at tennis that she was participating in national tournaments before she was even 10 years old. In fact we moved all the way back to Spain so she would be closer to the tournaments after she won nationals a year and a half ago."

"Well that doesn't seem very fair to you, didn't you like it in Japan?" he asked, completely absorbed in the story. She looked over at him, sighing gently. "I love this country. But I knew that tennis was something that Melissa _needed._ And I didn't really need to be here. But…there were moments when I wasn't so noble. I even wished something would happen that would let us move back here…" her expression saddened once more. Before he could even think, Tezuka reached for her hand and squeezed it gently, surprising the both of them. "You don't have to say anything more about it if it's too much…" Tezuka said comfortingly. She smiled in gratitude, but shook her head. "No…I feel safe in telling you about it. It's okay." Tezuka thought about pulling his hand back, but June looked so scared, he left it where it was. Giving it another reassuring squeeze, she continued. "Sometimes I blame myself for mom's death. I only had that thought once, the thought that something should compel us to move back…and shortly after that my mother died."

"But…it was a boating accident, that couldn't have been your fault." Tezuka tried to reason. June nodded. "I know, but at the time I kept telling myself 'you wished mom dead, you let this happen to her. But now you can go back to Japan, aren't you happy?' It's so ironic because Melissa blames herself for mom's death…. only I don't think Melissa's stopped thinking that way." Her eyes scanned his, and even though she didn't want to recall those memories, she continued on. "We went on a trip after my sister won nationals. The forecast predicted a perfect day, so we were so excited. Melissa had never learned to swim though, so she spent most of her time as far from the water as possible. It's not that she didn't want to learn; it was just that the water scared her. But we wanted to go so badly; she swallowed her fear and agreed to it. That's the only weakness I can think of for Melissa. She doesn't want to make anyone worry, she'd handle all her problems herself…." Tezuka watched June tense up a bit and Tezuka wrapped his fingers around hers. "June…don't do this to yourself."

"The storm came from nowhere. We tried our best to navigate through the water to get back home, but it felt like there was darkness everywhere. Melissa came up from below to see what was going on…and that's when it happened. I don't know how it happened, but the next thing I knew I could hear Melissa's cries from beyond the boat. I remember clinging to the boat thinking 'she's going to die, my little sister is going to die' and that's when it happened. I heard my mom shout out to Melissa and jump into the water. It seemed like forever before we heard anything else, and when time resumed, I saw Melissa struggle to hang onto the edge of the boat. My dad rushed to pull her up, looking around for mom. Melissa was sobbing the entire time. It was like she knew…. that we would never see mom again. My father and sister changed after that day."

"What do you mean by that?" Tezuka asked, regretting that he did so when he saw June's face become a little more pained. "My dad just quit everything. He didn't play tennis anymore, or take Melissa and I anywhere. He tried to shelter us from everything. Melissa…ached from guilt. She told me that although she hated herself for letting mom die, she was going to have to keep living so mom wouldn't regret it. She practiced tennis to keep her strength up, but she wouldn't even consider learning to swim. It was just her body's way of saying 'If you could swim, your mom wouldn't have died'." June sighed a bit, her eyes concentrating on the fingers entwined with hers. It gave her comfort, and the strength to finally let the whole story out. "My dad eventually just quit caring about everything. He dropped his job and picked up a beer bottle. If it weren't for the savings my parents had set up…I don't know what would have happened to us at the time. But we stayed in Spain for a year before Melissa came to me and said that we should move back. My dad agreed, so I had to deduce that it was just too painful for them to stay. We moved back here about six months ago, and instead of starting school right away with everyone else, Melissa and I took time to calm down, recollect ourselves. My dad's still a pretty big alcoholic. There are times where he's so frightening that Melissa and I don't even go home. He wasn't so awful to me, but he was terrible to Melissa. He'll even shout at her that mom's death was all her fault, and that if she wasn't even born, mom would still be with him…. if we had any other family, then we would just move in with them. But we don't have anyone else. And Melissa insists that taking care of dad, even if it's just being an outlet to his anger, will help atone for her sin." June shook her head. "She doesn't realize…that mom saved Melissa willingly, regardless the risk to her life. She wanted Melissa to go on and do wonderful things. That there's no sin…to atone for…"

Tezuka looked away from her, unsure how much more of this story he could take. _If I had even the faintest clue…I would have never asked…._

"Talking about it may feel a little painful at first…but I've never told anyone about it before. In a way, it's a huge relief." June reassured, smiling at him faintly. "I shouldn't have put this on your shoulders though, I'm very sorry."

"June. Please don't worry about it. I'm glad that such a thing won't be kept in the family. I'm glad…that you could tell me."

She looked up at him in surprise, even more shocked to see that his eyes held such warmth to them. It took her breath away. "Tezuka…" she whispered gently. He shook his head, the smile on his face brightening. "Really, it's okay. Thank you for trusting me." June's head bowed down to hide her growing blush, eyes covered by her jade tresses. "I-is there anything else you want to ask me?" June asked, trying to carry the conversation on now that Tezuka's mask was coming off. "I have one more question that I'd like to ask, and I will call our game today over…. with the exception of your question of course." He replied softly. Emerald met Pastel and she couldn't tear her eyes from his. "Anything…" she answered.

"Would you…" he started, breaking his gaze from hers to think for a moment.

"What is it Tezuka?" June asked, leaning towards him. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she tried to think of what he could possibly ask.

"Mind if I kissed you…" he finished, his eyes meeting hers once more. _Woah what are you thinking?! You've known her two days! You've never had this kind of association with anyone before! Are you out of your mind?_ His brain screamed.

June scanned his face for a moment, trying to determine whether or not he was being completely serious or not. When she seemed satisfied that he was serious, she shook her head. "I wouldn't mind in the slightest…"

He didn't give her time to change her mind as he pulled her against himself and desperately brushed his lips against hers. He was gentle about it at first, but the contact only sent his senses spiraling out of control and he deepened his ministrations. June wrapped a hand in his silky locks, heart racing faster than the speed of light as she kissed him back. Tezuka's head was in such a rush, it was a new exhilarating feeling for him. Her slender body against his was divine, a sensation he never wanted to get away from. Everything about it felt so natural, so perfect. _I am out of my mind…that's what makes this so wonderful…_

The need for air consumed the two teens and they finally pulled away from one another. Tezuka looked away from her, trying to calm his breathing, a blush covering his face. June put a hand to her chest to quell her racing heart. When they both felt a little calmer, he turned back to her. "I'm sorry if I startled you with the suddenness of that…but I'm not going to apologize that it happened…. because I'm rather happy it happened."

"I…I know how you feel." June replied gently. She smiled with a newfound happiness, it was almost blinding. "That was…wow." June laughed at her inability to form a decent sentence.

"T-that's all I wanted to ask…" Tezuka replied, his blush slowly fading from his face now that he was regaining control of his emotions. "What did you want to ask me?"

June found his attempt to get off the subject before he died from embarrassment incredibly cute. 'Honestly…I was going to ask if I could kiss you." She said with a giggle. "But now I'm gonna have to ask why you did it?"

"Why I kissed you?" he repeated, earning a nod from her. "Well…I…feel like I've known you forever…and now that I can share the burden of your past with you…it just felt…like it was something I could do. Even though I've only known you these two short days…and it all seems so crazy, it just…" he took off his glasses to rub the top of his nose. "I don't know what I'm trying to say. I asked to kiss you because I wanted it to be with your consent before I accidentally did it without your consent."

His reply took her by surprise. _There must be more going on in his head than I thought…_

"I don't think I would have minded if you just kissed me out of nowhere." June answered. "But thank you…for making the first one so special."

He smiled brilliantly, taking the very breath from her body. She had to look away to stop her heart from pulling a Thumper once more.

"Hey wait a minute, what do you mean the first one?" he asked out of nowhere. She laughed, thankful that she could turn this into a lighter conversation so as not to embarrass him further. "You don't think you can just kiss a girl and drop her do you?" she teased. Tezuka blushed and stood up. "Well I…but…"

"There will be more kissing Kunimitsu Tezuka. You'll see. Despite what you may think, I'm certain as to how this will all turn out."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Someone's confident over there." June laughed as she rose from her seat, making eye contact with him. "It's not so much confidence as it is absolute." Wrapping an arm around his, she pointed down the road of the park. "Now I do recall a few more shops that I have not been to yet?"

He groaned a bit as she dragged him along. But the smile was still on his face even after the talking and groaning stopped. _I can let her think she's won…once…_

* * *

**A/N- AHAHAHA, I await your reviews like a lump of coal awaits the FLAMES OF OBLIVION!! XD No really, please be merciful. lolz. And Pixel isn't a Mary-Sue, she's mastered over 8 million ways to kill someone with common household appliances....she could destroy you with a toothbrush, a piece of paper...and her bazooka named Big Bang. XD Random I know. No work tomorrow, so expect an update soon. Yeyness!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**So I have no work tomorrow, which is a clear sign that I will be working on this story. Which…I should be working on my other one also…but this one's got me in a weird craze. Like I have to get it all down before I forget. XD Also, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to a friend of mine, since we're both on the same wavelength when it comes to OCs. XD So this one's for you Different Child!**

_**Disclaimer- I do NOT own The Prince of Tennis or any of the characters originating from this series, specifically Tezuka and Fuji. June and Melissa are mine though.**_

* * *

"Are we finished yet??" Tezuka asked mercifully. He didn't know how much tourism he could take for the day. The sun shone brightly overhead, clearly reflecting June's mood. _I wonder if she's part plant, and feeds off the sun like photosynthesis…_he thought humorously. He watched her as they exited the park, losing in a battle to explain the mysteries of the Wonder in front of him. _Her name's more accurate than I thought…_

June spun around, eyeing him carefully. "I suppose we're finished with the shops at least…"

Tezuka let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. Shouldn't you be heading home then? It's quite a bit of a trip if I do recall."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" June asked, a bit of a pout on her face. Doing his best not to give in to the adorable look on her face, he looked away, pretending to be interested in the trees. "I didn't say that. I was just wondering if you wanted me to walk you home now."

"I don't want to go home yet…I know! We'll do something you want to do!" she suggested eagerly. "I want to go home and take a nap from all this running around." He protested. She pouted, which made him look away. "Do you really like hanging out with me that much June? Don't you have other friends to spend time with?" Tezuka reasoned.

"Well of course I have other friends…but I want to spend today with you…." June replied simply. "If I'm bothering you Tezuka, all you have to do is say so and I'll back away. I think you know that by now…"

"It's not that…" he started with a sigh. "It's just…" then an idea hit him. "Do you think we could stop by my house really quick before we leave again?"

"That's not an issue. What for though?" she asked, excited that he was eager to still spend time with her. "Well I want to grab my tennis racket. We can go play wall-ball or something. Does that sound okay?" June froze a bit at this. She told Tezuka that her family was full of tennis professionals, but she had failed to mention that she didn't know much of anything about the game herself! June blushed darkly. "Well that's fine…but I-"

"Really? Great!" he replied excitedly. He took her hand and started to run towards his house. June stumbled close behind him in an attempt to keep up. _This is going to be interesting…_ she thought. _But I'll worry about that when I get there. Right now he's so excited he doesn't realize he's being more confident with me. Or that he's holding my hand… _She giggled happily to herself, being careful not to let her immense glee come forth. He didn't seem to notice as they walked through the door to his home. "Hey everyone, I'm grabbing a couple of things and heading out again."

His mother poked her head out from the living room. "Oh? Where are you two off to this time?" she asked. Tezuka shrugged a bit as he started up the stairs. "We're going to the park to play tennis."

Tezuka's mom was quick to notice his exceptionally good mood and grinned a bit. "That boy has no idea does he…."

Tezuka shut the door to his room and opened his closet, grabbing his tennis bag and scanning the hanging clothes for a suitable outfit to practice in. June pouted a bit when he had let go of her hand to do so, missing the warmth of his fingers wrapped with hers. _Wouldn't have minded if he'd held on a little longer…_ she thought. Taking a seat on his bed, she glanced around his room briefly. "I see you've got tennis on the brain." She commented aloud, turning her head to look at him, jaw dropping slightly.

"Well I like to watch tennis as well as play it. I think that being able to study and understand it goes hand in hand with how you play. Just a little hobby of mine." Tezuka answered, glancing over at her. He frowned a bit when he saw her staring at him in shock. "What's the matter?"

_Oh nothing's the matter…. _She thought wickedly. Her eyes once more traced his muscular chest, taking in its hard physique for her own. June resisted the overwhelming urge to reach out and touch the flawless skin teasing her. "My goodness, you could sizzle eggs on those abs…" she muttered, lips curling to an O as the realization that her thoughts came out on this comment. June blushed immensely and looked away.

"June?"

She looked back at him, catching his confused stare.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to stare at you or anything…. maybe I should wait outside until you're ready." June stood up and made her way to the door, keeping her head low from embarrassment.

"June, it's really not that big a deal." Tezuka tried to reassure her. _Wait a minute; is it really not a big deal? _He thought to himself. _Well I guess she didn't do it on purpose, I was the one who dragged her up here…_

"No really, I think that was pretty indecent of me…." June reasoned.

_It hurts to see her like this…don't let her accept that humiliation alone! _Tezuka muttered a curse under his breath and grabbed her arm gently, turning her to face him. "June, calm down. I should be the one apologizing."

_Wait, what?_

"E-excuse me?" June questioned, shaking her head. "Maybe I didn't hear you right…but did you just say you're the one who should apologize?" Ignoring the temptation to say something sarcastic, Tezuka nodded gently. "I'm a little lost. I'm the one ogling you and invading your privacy…and you want to say you're sorry?" June verbalized.

"I wasn't thinking when I started to change. I shouldn't have put you in that position. So I'm sorry." He replied softly. June looked away, smiling a bit. "Believe me, it wasn't that bad a position to be put in. I should have had the decency to look away instead of being a pervert. I'm sorry too."

"You were being a pervert?" Tezuka asked, a light blush falling upon his cheeks. June's face flushed a bit more as she sighed. "Well I don't know what else I could be in that situation, other than conservative…and I think we both know how I am with that."

They shared a laugh together.

"I really am sorry though. I'll be more careful next time." Tezuka reassured, subconsciously pulling June in a little closer to him. "Yea…I'll be more aware next time myself." June promised.

Before they could even take their next breath, there was a knock on the door. They looked awkwardly at Tezuka's mother as she let herself in.

"Tezuka, I managed to finish the rest of your laundry, so you'll at least be able to…." She stopped and glanced at them carefully, taking in the sight. Tezuka stood shirtless holding June, a flushed look on June's face. Blinking to get the gears of her mind turning once more, she laughed nervously. "Oh my…I seem to be interrupting…." Sensing Tezuka's tension by the increased grip on her arm, June spoke up. "No not at all! We just worked out the awkward part. I didn't quite realize he was changing until I saw it. I made an effort to leave shamefully, but he stopped me to reassure me that he wasn't feeling violated." Tezuka looked at June bewildered. _How in the world can she just up and bluntly explain it??!_

"The situation just surprised me is all. Thank you for being honest with me June." His mother replied, setting the basket on the floor by his desk. "I'll just leave these here. Be sure to call me when you're heading home so I know when to set the table for you." She looked at June once more. "Will you be joining us dear? We'd love to have you here."

June smiled brightly. " I wouldn't miss it for the world."

The following seconds that passed after the door clicked shut once more were in silence. Tezuka was the first to speak after he let go of her arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen." June laughed and she rubbed her arm a bit. "I don't think either of us meant for that. It's okay. We told her what happened, and she let it go."

"About that…" Tezuka started, grabbing a blue shirt from the closet. " You've got some guts to just say it like that. I don't think I would have been able to explain it as well if you hadn't said something."

Keeping her eyes off his sculpted body this time, she tilted her head a bit to read the titles of various books set on his shelf. "Well it's easier on everyone if you just tell the truth. What's lying about it going to accomplish?" he smiled a bit. "I suppose you're right. Even so, you didn't hesitate at all."

"If you spend all your time hesitating, you're going to miss out on a lot of things. And in this case, hesitating would have just let your mom's mind race with a million different scenarios as to what was happening up here." June answered, glancing over at him quickly to make sure he was fully clothed once more. _Much to my disappointment…._

"That's a good point. It's already interesting enough for her. I don't bring many people in my room." He said thoughtfully. Her giggle fit caused him to look over at her, baffled. "What? What is it??" he asked.

"Well I should hope you don't." she joked. "You're so weird." He teased, picking up his duffle bag. "I didn't mean like THAT you silly girl." Tezuka took note that she was still holding her arm where he grabbed her. "Are you okay?"

She waved his question off with her hand. "Yea yea. I'm fine Tezuka. Are you ready to go now?"

"Are you sure you're not hurt? I didn't mean to-"

She put a finger to his lips to silence him, the suddenness of her movements causing him to blush. "Tezuka…I'm okay. I'm not one to waste words, remember? If it were bad, I'd say something. I promise you that." June slowly pulled her finger away from him, smiling in reassurance.

"You promise…" he repeated, and she nodded. "Okay. Then let's be off. I don't want my mother thinking up any more crazy thoughts if we're out too late."

"I know what you mean. I at least want them to be accurate if they're going to involve us, and I don't see that happening." She joked, laughing as she ran down the stairs.

Shaking his head in frustration, he slowly followed after her. _Yep…I can't figure this one out at all…._

* * *

**At the park**

"This is like watching a train wreck…." Tezuka whispered to himself, running his hands through his hair in disbelief. He knew that some people had a natural knack for tennis; people who could pick up a tennis racket and after a couple matches become a pro in no time.

June Wonder…was not one of those people.

"I thought you said that your family is full of pros??" Tezuka asked, amazed that she missed yet ANOTHER easy hit against the wall. She looked over at him and laughed nervously. "I wasn't lying about that. My mother, father, as well as my sister can play the game like none other…but I never said anything about me being any good at it! I don't know the first thing about this game…." She admitted with a sad smile. His stern expression softened when he saw her face fall in discouragement. "Why didn't you ask them to just teach you as well?"

"I would have asked them if I really wanted to learn…but I didn't want to play tennis…" She managed to hit the ball against the wall a couple times before she swung too hard and spun herself around, the ball rolling to a stop at Tezuka's feet. June slumped to the ground, unable to face him. _That was a stupid thing to say. Mr. "I want to become a pro" isn't going to go for someone not interested in tennis._

He couldn't stand to see her on the ground like that, so full of frustration and hurt. Tezuka wanted to reassure her, allay her worries. _I am soooo not good with this sort of thing…but… _Moving from his place on the bench, he spoke to her gently.

"I guess we can't all love tennis, otherwise there'd be too much competition."

She looked up to see Tezuka kneeling in front of her. The smile on his face held a genuine kindness to them, and she found her heart racing in her chest once more. "Tezuka…"

"There's nothing wrong with having different interests June. I'm just a little curious as to why you agreed to come out here and play if you knew this was going to happen."

June took interest in the ground once more. "Because it's something you love to do. I thought it was fair to at least try it, since you brought yourself to escort me around all day. Against your will. If coming to play tennis will get you to smile at me like that the whole time…I would play it horribly all day…."

Her words touched his heart, causing it to thud almost painfully in his chest. "June…you don't have to force yourself to do these things…I know I acted pretty harsh about it, but I really didn't mind being with you today. In fact…it was really quite fun." He lifted her chin up so she was looking him in the eye. He tried peering into those emerald pools, searching for something that would help him decipher this young woman that came into his life so suddenly. "I don't understand how you do it…but you get me to come out of my shell…just by being yourself. So please…don't humiliate yourself like this again. It hurts to see that smile of yours disappear."

She knew that he had never been so upfront with another person like he was doing with her right now. In a way, she wanted to cry. Because he trusted her with a piece of himself, trusted her enough to kiss her even though he hardly knew her. It was a moment the two of them would have between themselves forever. And she felt selfish to want to keep it that way for as long as she lived.

_But why…_

" I was scared…" she finally answered, catching Tezuka off guard. "I felt that if I couldn't share this interest with you…that I might not have a chance…"

_Don't say it June; you can't burden him with that…_

He put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, his mind running rampant trying to figure out what she was attempting to say. "A chance at what?"

"To be your rival."

An upside down crow passed overhead and the sounds of kids playing on the other side of the park became slightly more audible as they sat there in silence. Tezuka was, to say the least, not expecting those words to come out her mouth.

_Well what were you expecting? _His mind teased. "Pardon?" he finally managed to choke out. She looked up at him, sticking her tongue out in a teasing manner. "Well come on. We both know I'm going to beat you academically, but to be your rival I can't very well lose to you in sports. That would be embarrassing!"

She laughed like a madwoman when he fell over out of sheer frustration. "Well what were you expecting silly? Something profound?" June rose to her feet and brushed off her skirt. Smiling gently, she held a hand out to him. "Thanks for cheering me up though."

Tezuka grunted in "annoyance" and took her hand, pulling himself up. "You're welcome. But remember, you promised to let me know if something was causing you trouble."

"I did in fact say that." She agreed, picking up the racket. June was about to start once more when Tezuka spoke up. "Why don't we go back to my house for dinner now? I'm sure you're hungry from all that running." He laughed when she looked at him and huffed. 'Oh you're terrible, don't make fun of me! I'll show you running!" This time he was the one running from her, as she held the tennis racket and knew full well she wasn't a bluffer.

_I couldn't say it today…but one day when I'm strong enough…I'll be able to tell him. _

* * *

**A/N- BAM!! And here we have another chapter! Finally! This is the second longest one of the series so far, so yey! I'm very bad with writing about daily activities, as you can clearly see. So dialogue tends to consume most of my stories. X( Well thanks for the continued support to all of you who review and such! I really appreciate it. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Lol, I find it ironic that if I'm working on two stories at the same time, I can't stop thinking about the one I'm not CURRENTLY typing. Which happened to be the case on this one. I was in the midst of writing Lacuna's Ch 5 when my thoughts drifted back to this one. XD So here you go! Enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer- I do NOT own The Prince of Tennis or the characters from the series I happen to use in this story. The only people I will take credit for are June and her younger sister Melissa.** _

* * *

"Now I know I'm not genius or anything…" the ever smiling Fuji replied with a smirk. "But I can't help but notice you're…happier lately." He followed Tezuka off the tennis court to the fountains for a drink.

"Really? What gives that away?" Tezuka asked, his attention focused mostly on the book he held in front of him as he walked.

"So you don't deny it?" Fuji asked, partially surprised. When Tezuka didn't answer, he took the silence as a yes and continued. "Something good happen then?"

"Hmm." Tezuka replied with little interest, flipping a page of the book to continue reading. "Something like that."

"You're no fun to talk to with your nose in a book." Fuji said with a mock pout, picking up his pace so he was side by side with Tezuka. "Come on Tezuka, I'm your buddy right? You can tell me."

Tezuka closed his book and sighed gently. "Honestly Fuji, you're the last person I would consider telling for fear of you never letting me live it down." He looked over at his friend, giving him the 'don't even attempt to deny it' face.

Fuji's snicker was enough of an answer for him.

"Seriously though Tezuka…I called your house the other day to see if I could see those English notes I missed, and your mom said you were out on a date!"

_Mother…._ Tezuka scolded her mentally, fist shaking in the air in annoyance. "It wasn't a date per say…."

"But you were with a girl." Fuji replied, trying to piece together the pieces. "Yes I was."

"So who is this girl? People here tell me that you've been talking to a girl in a couple of your classes lately. If she's got your attention, she must be someone worth meeting." He added with a grin. "I don't think it would be wise for you two to meet, dangerous things might happen." Tezuka replied honestly. With June's sharp insight and Fuji's genius, those two could take over the school within a matter of hours.

_Not to mention any possible blackmail Fuji might share with her…._

"There's no way I'm allowing that." Tezuka finally added.

"Please??" Fuji begged.

"No way." Tezuka said with resolution.

"Either I meet her with your permission or I find her myself." The genius retorted, crossing his arms and coming to a stop. He knew that Tezuka would turn around, grunt at him angrily, and agree to his demands.

"…Fine…on one condition."

"And that condition would be??" Fuji asked with interest. Tezuka looked at his friend with a smirk. "You buy lunch of course."

"Always one with an eye for a bargain aren't we?" Fuji chuckled, following Tezuka down the street to their usual place for lunch.

* * *

"Call me crazy…" the younger woman started as she ran a bandaged hand through her olive locks. " But you seem more balanced than usual. Is this guy you're crushing over emotionally challenged?"

"Melissa he's not emotionally challenged, he's just got some issues trusting other people with his thoughts." June retorted, putting her hands on her hips. Melissa Wonder, June's younger sister, stood in front of the card store window, gazing in at the various spell and trap cards set on display. Despite being younger than June by a year, she was taller than June by an inch, her dark hair touching her waist when it wasn't pinned up in the usual tennis headband. She wore a simple pair of tan shorts and a blue tank top, her tennis bag strapped around her shoulders.

"Sounds like he's emotionally challenged to me…." Melissa replied, her golden eyes meeting June's. "But if you can spend so much time with him and be okay, then I suppose it's not such a bad thing after all. But be careful anyways. I don't want to get a call from the doctor saying you passed out again from overloading your emotions."

She pulled away from the card store and started down the street to the restaurant. "So tell me about this guy of yours June."

"Why of all the times to be interested you choose now?" June teased, shielding herself in case her sister decided to hit her.

"I'm rarely home anymore, and I care June…when it comes to our family you're the only person I can trust. Is it wrong to be interested in your life?" Melissa asked apprehensively. "N-no. I didn't mean it like that. I apologize Melly…." June knew from Melissa's smile that she was forgiven, and preceded to explain Tezuka. "Well…when I first met him, he wasn't very sociable. He still has a ways to go until he completely opens up, but I've seen him drop the mask now and then. Cruel as it may sound, I like to get him frustrated. It's terribly cute to see that look on his face. Oh! And I've already seen him shirtless." June started to gossip, hearts in her eyes as her mind flashed back to that heavenly sight.

"Has a body the Gods made themselves huh?" Melissa asked, deciding to go along with her sister's imagination. June put a hand to her mouth to catch potential drool. "Dear sister, the Gods envy that body."

Melissa couldn't help but laugh. "You don't say. That's pretty intense June. Do you really think you can handle someone like that?" After much thought and a street later, June answered. "Well I wouldn't put myself on the line if I didn't think I could make it work." Melissa hummed a bit. "Point taken. So he's good looking, and a lone wolf. Quite the opposite of you isn't it?" June's mouth dropped in protest. "Hey! I am so good looking!" She punched Melissa's arm lightly. Her eyes finally took note of her sister's bandaged hands. 'Melly…. what happened this time??" Melissa looked at her hands. "Oh this? Some of the girls on Hyoutei's team suspected me of having some sort of fling with the male tennis team's captain and wanted to have a friendly discussion with me."

"Friendly discussion?! Melissa your hands are wrapped in bandages! What are you going to do about your regional tournament match?" June asked, worry rising for her sister. "Did you at least put up a fight this time?"

"It's not nice to condone violence." Melissa replied bluntly, her eyes losing its bright luster. "But I did fight back this time. After they hurt my hands, I wouldn't stand for anything else. As for my match, I'm going to play as I normally would." Melissa grabbed June's hands, their eyes meeting before Melissa spoke again. "I've got it taken care of, so you don't have to worry. I just want you to focus on school. And this guy of yours. Okay?" June nodded, partially because she didn't know what else she could say, and partially because she knew that no matter what she said, Melissa had made up her mind already. Melissa searched her sister's face until she was certain June was serious also, and let go of her hands. "I never even asked you what his name was did I? I'm horrible with this gossip thing aren't I?" she joked.

"I'm sure it's hard to when people call you the Unhappy Wonder Melissa…but his name is Kunimitsu Tezuka, and-"

"Woah Woah Woah…. wait a minute…you're telling me that your man is THE Kunimitsu Tezuka?" Melissa interrupted, turning to face June with shocked eyes. "Well I wouldn't have been so bold as to call him THE…" June mumbled, scratching the back of her head. "June, Tezuka is one of the best middle school tennis players in all of Japan!"

"I was not aware of this." The older sister replied bluntly, looking away. "So can he really perform the drop shot?" Melissa didn't get excited about a lot of things, but when it came to tennis, her eyes lit up and she sounded just like a regular kid. June smiled at that. "Well I wouldn't know…I never really watched him play before. And the other day when we went to the park, I did the playing…if you can call it playing."

"You actually played June??" Melissa asked. "I thought you…"

"I still don't intend to play…but I…I really like spending time with him, and it's something he really enjoys doing. It's a bit of a compromise."

Melissa shook her head and held the door open for her sister. "You should be careful with things like that June." June brushed her sister's concern off with a sigh. "Melissa, I think I know my limits alright?" She glanced over at Melissa, seeing she wasn't buying it. "That hurts you know…" June added with a pout.

Melissa moved until she was right in front of June. "You're not like other people June…you know that much at least."

"There are people who have been known to sense other people's feelings. It's called intuition." June retorted, putting her hands on her hips. She knew better than anyone else that she was only making her situation worse, as Melissa grew more and more angry. "June, stop joking around. You don't just sense them, you feel them. You know exactly what the people around you are feeling. Given if they're negative enough, it can seriously hurt you. Don't take this lightly."

"I'm not goofing around Melissa. I'm not the only empath here. Some concern for you would be nice as well." June replied, eyeing Melissa carefully. Sighing gently, Melissa gave in. "Mine isn't nearly as potent as yours. We both know that. But I suppose it's pointless arguing about this. Let's just eat and head home okay?"

A bright smile plastered itself on June's face once more. "Okay."

"June? Is that you?"

She turned toward the voice and her eyes lit up. "Tezzy!!"

Melissa ewehed. "Tezzy??"

* * *

**A/N- And here we are, another chapter of insanity! Think this one was bad enough, just wait and see what I have in store for the next one! Just a quick note, when Melissa performs and Eweh, it's just the anime teardrop. Long story short, it's just the sound I hear when it pops up in an episode of something. I know there are better words to describe it, but for my friend Rani, I'm just gonna keep it as is. So…yea, June and Melissa are empaths…for the most part that won't come into effect, it's just something they worry about. I would too…any questions will be answered by either A. reviewing and asking about it or B. What Alicia Hale did and mail me. (By the way, thanks so much for doing so! Still makes me feel fuzzy!) It's a bit of a goal of mine, but I will NOT be updating this until I can at least get Lacuna Chapter 5 set up. Since I have readers patiently waiting for that one as well. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Aha! Two chapters in one day….I think that's fair. Since I am fairly bad with updating. La Luxe Babe's review that she sent me tonight made me feel so good that I decided to get this one up quickly just to say thanks! So without further adeu, I give you chapter 8!**

_**Disclaimer- I do NOT own the Prince of Tennis or any of its wonderful characters. The only wonderful peeps I own are Melissa and June. **_

* * *

He stood there in shock, hardly believing his eyes as the girl plaguing his every thought turned to face him. His mind raced with a million different things. _What's she doing here? Is that her sister with her? What are the odds we would both end up here today? Wait…did she just call me 'Tezzy'??_

He covered his face in embarrassment.

_She really called me Tezzy…_

He heard Fuji snicker evilly behind him. Tezuka growled a bit. _Great, he's never going to let that go now…_

"Well this is an…interesting surprise." He started, trying to ignore the embarrassing pet name she had decided to give him, without his consent.

"I'll say! Who knew you'd be at this restaurant at this time on this day!? Certainly not I." June replied, practically floating over to him. Melissa sighed gently and followed after. _Well this makes meeting him so much easier._ She thought optimistically. Tezuka looked over at Fuji. "You don't mind if they join us do you?" Fuji's expression just increased in wickedness. "Not at all, _**Tezzy**_."

"Why I outta…" He looked over as June reached them; rising from his seat to help June and Melissa sit down. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met before. My name is Tezuka Kunimitsu." He introduced with a small bow of his head. Melissa smiled gently. "I-I'm Melissa…Wonder... uh, I'm June's younger sister." She answered nervously. Here she was, sitting across from one of the best tennis players in the entire country. If Melissa knew how, she'd fangirl.

"Melissa and June Wonder. What fascinating names." Fuji replied with a smile. Tezuka reseated himself across from June. "Oh yes, this little devil is Fuji Shuusuke. He's a longtime friend of mine."

"Wow, I was under the impression you didn't have any friends Tezuka." June replied bluntly. "You never stay past the school bell do you June?" Tezuka asked her, shooting a glance at her. In her pale green blouse and flowing white skirt, she looked absolutely beautiful. He blushed a bit and looked at Fuji. "Fuji and I are on the same tennis team. Have been for a long time now."

Melissa perked up a bit and glanced from one tennis player to the other. "So you're the genius!!" Fuji looked over at Melissa. "People have called me that, that much is for sure." She shook her head. 'No don't be modest. I've followed the some of the best tennis players in the country, and let me tell you…to be sitting with you two…is so exciting."

"From what June's told me, you're quite the player yourself Melissa." Tezuka responded, handing the girls a menu. Melissa blushed nervously. "Well I don't like to brag…it's just something I happen to be comfortable with…and trust me, that's a rarity." Fuji nodded thoughtfully. "Oh yes. I remember reading about your victory in nationals a couple years ago. Very impressive." He complimented, causing her blush to darken. "No really…I don't deserve any praise…" Melissa took interest in the menu to try and calm her blush. June knew Melissa was starting to freak out and took the initiative to change the conversation. " If you go to the same school and Tezuka and myself, why is it I haven't met you until now?"

"I've been out of town for the past couple weeks. A sort of family emergency if you will." The brunette answered. "I see…that makes sense. You play tennis also…how in the world do you manage that with your eyes closed all the time?" she asked bluntly, causing Melissa to look over at her in surprise. Fuji laughed. " It's okay Melissa, I get that a lot. I suppose only a genius could figure out how to do something like this."

"It's just a curious matter. I mean I know people that can't walk two steps with their eyes open, and here you are smiling and being devious with your eyes closed. Oh! Are they two different colors? Or is one of them gouged out?" June asked, leaning over the table to get in Fuji's face. "June!" Melissa scolded, trying to pull her back. This only humored Fuji further. "She's really cute Tezuka, I can see why you like her so much." Tezuka jerked out of his thoughts at this. "E-excuse me?" His eyes met June's as her attention had shifted from Fuji to Tezuka. "So you do like me…" Tezuka's gaze fell as he wished he could slip through the floor and disappear. Fuji was NOT making this day easy for him. June sat back in her seat when she felt his unease. "You never answered my question Fuji."

"No my eyes are completely normal, I just think it's more fun to keep people guessing if I keep them closed all the time." He answered gently. June shrugged. "I can see that, but how on earth do you walk around and play tennis? You just have a sixth sense that lets you feel objects around you?"

"A sixth sense…." Fuji put a hand to his chin in thought. "That would be nice. Not all of us are gifted however." Melissa and June chuckled timidly. "Yea…"

"I guess I just open a tiny slit now and then to double-check my surroundings" Fuji reasoned, his smile growing. Melissa opened her mouth to question his reply when June spoke up. "Eh, works for me!"

Melissa nearly face planted. "Well we came here to eat right? Call me crazy, but I think we should do what we came here to do!" June suggested. "But first, I have to go to the little girl's room. Would you like to join me Melly?" Melissa looked over at June, shaking her head in bafflement. "Seriously June? You're so weird. I'm good." She watched June get up and leave before facing the two boys. "So uhm…what made you two want to come here?"

Tezuka looked over at the younger sister once he lost sight of June. "Well…this is where Fuji and I usually come for lunch after a long day of practice. And since it's his turn to pay, I was all for going." He replied humorously. Fuji smiled, chuckling lightly. "I was a little skeptical coming today, since I wasn't sure Tezuka would really be a man of his word, but it seems that June came to us. It certainly makes things interesting. "

"Interesting?" Melissa repeated.

" Well anyone that can make Tezuka smile and mean it is someone worth meeting if you ask me. I don't think Tezuka's shown his true colors to another person before. At least not of his own volition."

"I'm right here you know." Tezuka replied gruffly, rising from his seat to go to the restroom as well. "We've got things covered here, but no hickies!" Fuji scolded playfully, earning a deadly glare from Tezuka. Tezuka disappeared and Fuji chuckled. "He's so easy to anger. So tell me Melissa, what has June told you about Tezuka?" Melissa's attention went to the grinning tennis player across from her. "Well…I just got back from a tournament myself, so I'm afraid it's not a whole lot in June terms. But she's very fond of him. In fact, I don't think she's ever been so happy with someone she's hardly known. I just…worry about her."

"June seems like she can worry about herself though." Fuji pointed out, and Melissa shook her head. "It's not that…June's much frailer than she looks. She wears her heart on her sleeve. In a way I envy her honesty with people. But other times…I fear that people take advantage of her kindness." She saw Fuji tense up, her ability causing her to sense that Fuji was taking this the wrong way. "I don't mean to say that Tezuka is one of those people. Not at all. I see that when he lowers his façade, he's truly kind to June. He has warmth. I don't think he would mistreat her…I'm just saying that just because he doesn't take advantage of her…. doesn't mean someone else won't." Melissa felt Fuji relax, and sighed in relief.

"You really worry about her…that's nice…to have someone willing to do that for you." Fuji replied gently. Melissa smiled. "Sometimes simply worrying isn't enough. That's why…I hope that things work out between those two…so I can feel more at ease…" A waitress finally came over and took an order of drinks, Melissa ordered for June and herself, while Fuji ordered for himself and Tezuka. After the waitress left, they looked at each other and laughed.

"It's a little sad that we know exactly what the other person wants, regardless of them being here or not." Fuji said with a smile. "Melissa, even if June doesn't end up with Tezuka romantically…. she's a bright person. People will be drawn to her. You can rest easy knowing that I too will contribute to your efforts to keep her safe."

"Fuji…but you…you hardly know her…" Melissa stammered, still touched by his words. " I know, but I have a feeling that she'll be a part of our group in no time. And I protect those I care about. If Tezuka trusts her…then I do too. So you should stop worrying so much, so you can concentrate on what you need to do. Otherwise, you're not really helping anyone are you?" Melissa smiled, taking a sip of her drink. "You really are a genius."

* * *

Tezuka stepped out of the restroom the same time June did, causing her to laugh. "What's so funny?" he asked quizzingly. "We're pretty in sync if you ask me. If I could actually play tennis, you might be looking at a partner right here." She stood with her hands on her hips, a proud expression on her face. He laughed softly. "I don't enjoy playing doubles…. and you don't enjoy tennis. So that whole statement seemed superfluous."

"Perhaps…" June said as she dropped her hands. " But you followed me over here, is there something you wanted to ask me?"

'I didn't follow you, I came over here for the same reason you did." He answered simply. June shook her head. "Honestly, you're so…" taking a step closer to him, she continued. "Well there was something I wanted to ask you…" he blinked a couple of times, waiting for her to finish. When she didn't speak up, he reached for her hand, clasping it gently in his. "What is it?"

"Maybe I shouldn't ask.." June answered skeptically. This was new to Tezuka. He knew June was a person who liked to take risks. Who wasn't afraid to ask people questions. She didn't beat around the bush, she was upfront and honest. The way she hid this time, especially from him, made his heart sink. "June…you can tell me anything…" Tezuka whispered, placing a hand on her cheek.

"Tezuka…"

"I mean it…don't be afraid of me. That…would hurt more than anything you might tell me." She slowly looked up at him. This was so new to him, she knew that. He wasn't like her when it came to letting others know how he felt. He preferred to bottle it up, so others wouldn't concern themselves with him. At that moment she felt the hurt he was trying so hard to mask, and she fell into his arms. "Kunimitsu…" he jolted a bit from the contact she gave him, shock following after as she had addressed him by his first name. "Y-yes?"

"You don't mind…that I call you Tezzy…do you?" she asked, muffled a bit from burrying her face in his chest. "I understand that it must be embarrassing…and if it'll make you feel more comfortable..I'll even keep it private. Just between us…." He resisted the urge to run a hand through the gorgeous emerald locks, to look her in the eyes and tell her that everything was fine. Mustering some nerve, he finally spoke up. "If it'll make you happy June…then I would wouldn't mind." Her head jerked up to look at him. "R-really??"

"_IF_….you just keep it between us. I don't need Fuji chasing me to the grave with that name." He compromised. June smiled, nodding a bit in understanding. "I'm glad that makes you happy…" tezuka added with a smile, holding her against him tighter. "But that's not what you really wanted to ask me."

June was surprised that he could read her that well. She smiled. "No, it's not." He held her so close she could feel his heartbeat. It pounded in his chest, and she knew he was scared to hear what she had to ask. "Maybe this should wait for some other time…"

"Then you'll meet me tonight." He said sternly. He was apprehensive as to what she wanted to tell him, but he wasn't going to run away. He had to know. "We'll go have lunch and pretend that we didn't talk…but you owe me an explaination later. Understood?" June smiled weakly. "you're tough to bargain with….alright." Satisfied with her answer, he gently and slowly released her from his arms. "I'll be at your house around nine. Don't forget." June's hands once again found their way to her hips. "Do I look like someone that would hide? I'm not afraid of you." She teased. He laughed. "No I guess not. Very well. Shall we go eat now?" June nodded and took his arm, nearly dragging him to the table once more.

_Tonight…there's no more hiding…I have to tell him…_ June thought as she sat down. Looking at the scene, she sensed the tension. Smirking to herself, June decided to change the mood.

"Hope you two weren't making out while we were gone!"

* * *

**A/N- there ya go, another chapter of madness!! A lot of people tell me how much they love June, and that either makes me very happy or very sad. Lol. Happy because I was worried that everyone would think she's Mary-Sue-ish, and sad because you all fell in love with someone with the knowledge she won't be around forever! Well thank you all for being so supportive, I'll do my best to keep this streak going as best I can!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Kay before I get complaints that I haven't been updating, I am facing an Internet crisis. As in..I don't have it anymore. So I can write the story and such..But posting it is a Bologna sandwich. So I apologize to my few faithful readers, as I know that updates are vital to their existence. XD okay not really. Anyway, onward with the chapter!**

_**Disclaimer-I do NOT own The Prince of Tennis or the characters affiliated with the series, such as Kunimitsu Tezuka and Shuusuke Fuji. The only characters I will take credit for are June and Melissa Wonder, as I morphed them into existence. **_

* * *

After eating, the group had decided to split back up and go their separate ways, but not before June pulled Tezuka to the side again. "I just remembered…I don't think it's such a good idea for you to come by my house…" Tezuka gave her a look. "It's not that I'm worried about meeting you, I will, I promised. But my house…it's just not a good idea for you to come by. So…"

"We could meet back here." He suggested. It seemed to be the right thing to say as she nodded. "Alright then, I'll see you back here later."

The rest of the day seemed like a blur to June, as she tried to think of the best way to get her feelings laid out on the table. Sensing that her sister was worried about something, Melissa led her to an alleyway by their house. "You've been like this since you got back from the bathroom at the restaurant. What happened?" Her eyes got as big as dinner plates. "Don't tell me you really did make out with him?!" she asked with shock. June laughed. "No it's nothing like that! He just…" _Asked you to confess your biggest secret that could potentially ruin our friendship?_

"He's just going to meet me later, and we're going to talk about a few things." June finally spoke up, not exactly lying but not revealing the whole truth. Melissa knew this, but she was content with the answer. "Well I hope things work out okay." Melissa replied with a smile. "Thanks Melly."

"You're welcome." Melissa cleared through the alley. "Well I'm going to head home. Dad's probably frantic wondering where we went off to today. I'll work on tending to his needs, you go see Tezuka." June eyed Melissa. It wasn't often the Melissa offered to stay home more than she absolutely needed to, especially on a day off. "Are you sure Melly? This is very uncharacteristic of you."

When the blush came across her usually shy sister, it only served to pique June's curiosity ever more. "Well it's not…just for your sake…I mean I would do anything for you but…there's a special match on TV tonight…"

Ah, so it was tennis again. Her younger sister sure had that sport on her mind. Of course she could understand why it was so special to her. It was something that Melissa felt brought her close to their mother. June smiled gently at that. "So does that mean that arrogant kid is going to be playing a match somewhere?" June finally spoke up. Melissa loved to watch the tournaments, but from the way she blushed, that special someone she was crushing on was going to be playing. Melissa stood outside the door to their home, the blush darkening. "He's not arrogant…he's got the skills to back up what he says."

"Still pretty arrogant to me. What's that phrase of his that he throws around? 'Mada mada dane'?" June asked, trying to recall if that was the right wording. Melissa's silence was enough of a yes for her. "Even if you got to meet him, he'd just be a jerk to you." The older sister said after a minute of silence. Melissa shook her head. She didn't think that Ryoma would be rude to those who played tennis. At least if they were good enough to keep up with him. That's another reason she trained as hard as she did. "Anyway, I don't need you sitting there adding to my woes, so I'll take care of matters here. Just let me know all the juicy details." She compromised, opening the door. June waved her hands in the air. "It's nothing like what you're thinking!" she stammered, watching Melissa wink at her and shut the door in her face.

"Some people's sisters…" she mumbled, turning away from the house and heading back to the restaurant.

* * *

"Fuji…for the last time…_**please **_stop calling me that name." Tezuka damn near begged. Ever since their little run in with June, Fuji had taken upon himself to embarrass Tezuka further with June's little nickname. It was starting to take its toll on Tezuka. "I'm sorry." Fuji said through a laugh. This was really too much fun. And June seemed like a wonderful girl. It surprised Fuji to know that Tezuka had such an amazing lady set her sights on him. And Tezuka seemed to know this too, even when he didn't say anything. "So tell me, Tezzy…" he shielded himself a bit in case Tezuka decided to hit him. Which would be understandable at this point. "Do you like June? She certainly seems to like you."

"I haven't really thought about it. I just get so caught up in our time together that I don't interpret it as anything." Tezuka responded. "But that doesn't stop June from interpreting it. I'm telling you, she really has something for you." Fuji said with much thought. Just from that one meeting with her, and he could tell. He wasn't called the genius for nothing. "Even if she did…" Tezuka tried to reason. " I don't see why she would hide it from me. You've seen that she's pretty blunt when it comes to telling people what she thought." Fuji nodded in agreement. " I suppose you're right. But she's smarter than she lets on. Maybe she's not telling you because she knows it would make you uncomfortable."

It made sense to him. He knew why June would suddenly lose her nerve when he wanted her to be straight with him. "I must have seemed…so oblivious to her…to where it even hurt her." He replied softly, looking at his feet as he walked. Fuji saw his friend become discouraged. Sighing gently, Fuji stopped Tezuka. "Hey…I'm sure that June's looking out for herself too. It's just…with a guy as ruggedly handsome as you, it must be difficult for her to keep herself in check." He said with a smirk.

"Oh Fuji…for once you should be serious." Tezuka said with a small chuckle. "Alright. I seriously think that whatever you two decide to talk about…you can't let her get away with hiding anything anymore. And when you discover something that you don't want to accept, then tell her."

Tezuka let Fuji's words sink in. "I will. Thanks Fuji."

"No problem Tezzy."

He decided to let that one slide as he stopped at the end of the street. "Well this is where we part ways."

Fuji nodded, his eyes opening to show how serious he was. "Tezuka. I mean it. This could be a good thing you have here. "

"I can see you mean business." Tezuka replied, almost in shock at Fuji's sincerity. "Don't worry, I won't let your pearls of wisdom go to waste." He waved over his shoulder to Fuji as he made his way back.

_What's he going to think of me when I spill my feelings out? What if I can't even tell him? That would be worse for the both of us wouldn't it? I never would have thought I would be reduced to feeling things like this…_

June sighed as she finally reached the restaurant. "It almost…"

"Almost what?" came a voice from beyond her thoughts. Feeling her heart twist in her chest, she knew exactly who it was. _How is something like this even possible…we've only known each other a couple weeks…is that okay? Surely he wouldn't think so… _Jade met hazel as they stood there, lost in each other's gaze. If June hadn't looked away when she did, she would have told him everything just from looking at him. They were odd like that. Just from those few seconds, she felt _**It'd be okay**_ and _**Thanks for meeting me here **_coming from him.

"You must be…really worried if you're going through all this trouble just to ask me one thing." June started off with a joke.

"It's no trouble at all." He replied, letting the façade he normally kept up for moments like this drop. June wasn't sure whether or not she was ready for something like that from him. But she felt his calm resolution, and her smile warmed. She could do this after all. "So you were actually worried about me." June double-checked. He nodded for an answer. "Well you told me it would be alright, so I will trust you." She said aloud, more for herself. "And I said I would meet you here, so why would I go back on that? It's more alooooooone time." She added with a teasing tone. He rolled his eyes, feeling some comfort knowing that she wasn't so worried to the point where her personality would drastically change.

_Wait a minute…I never said thanks __to_ _her…_

"Hold on, I didn't-"

"That'll have to be something else we talk about tonight." June replied quickly. Once again, this led Tezuka to believe she was most definitely a psychic. "Well okay…where do you want to go to start this?" he asked, wanting to know what was going on as soon as possible. The way he said it made it seem like he wanted to get it over with so he could go home. "I'm sorry, that must have sounded rude…"

June shook her head, understanding shining in her jade eyes. "No I can see you're really concerned. I think that would be best as well." Looking around, June didn't find any place deemed worthy, so she put a hand to her chin in thought. "Hmmm…"

"I happen to know of a place that might work." Tezuka suggested. June looked over at him. "Is it somewhere would someone would overhear our discussion?" As he shook his head she put her hands behind her back. "Well then, lead the way!"

Placing her hands on the rail, she admired the view of the city. From this point, she could see the lights perfectly, like it were a dream. It was so high above everything else, she held onto the rail tightly just to be careful. The way the sun touched the horizon set the sky aflame with reds and oranges.

"This spot okay?" Tezuka asked, realizing after some time she was rather quiet. He moved to stand beside her, concern etched on his normally stoic features. Of course when it came to being near June, his normal actions were rather rare. He was almost a different person.

"It's…beautiful…" she said when she caught her breath. Already she felt much better. Looking at him, her smile brightened. "You come here often?"

"That's a horrible pick-up line." Tezuka answered, raising an eyebrow. This only caused June to laugh. It was something she would normally try with him, but for once she was trying to be serious "I was being serious Tezuka. It's a lovely spot…I was just wondering if you come here often to clear your head."

"Oh, sorry." He said, a light blush gracing his face. "I come here now and then before a major tournament. It helps set things in order. Some…me time if you will."

"That's good. You deserve that now and then with the way you carry yourself." Before he could ask what she meant by that, she continued. "For someone so young, you act so much older. Take it slow Tezuka; you never know when you're going to be forced to grow up, so enjoy being young while you can. You really scare me when you mask everything."

" I'm not masking anything." Tezuka replied simply. "I'm not acting any specific way. It's just the way I am June. I'm sorry you don't like it." June shook her head. It might have sounded rude, but it wasn't what she intended for. "Tezuka you do it even when you don't realize it. You can't deny that you'd rather sit in the back of the room and avoid talking to your peers than jump right into a conversation with them."

"Other people just…can't be serious. They can't hold my attention." He answered with some thought. "Did you ever think that at this age, people aren't always serious? That we want to laugh and talk with our friends and think about our futures together? Sure we all have burdens to bear, but not all of us can face ours alone. That's why we have friends…don't you want that? To have people to lean on and to trust? That you can share your worries with so you don't have to be alone with them?" she asked. If he couldn't understand this now, he might never be able to, and she wanted to help him do that. Even if he couldn't tell her, anyone would be better than no one. "Even your best friend, Shuusuke Fuji doesn't always know what goes on in that head of yours. He told me himself at the table today. He told all of us. Doesn't that say something to you?"

He was quiet for a long time after she spoke, staring off at the sights below. June closed her eyes, feeling for his emotions. At first it was a weak feeling, then it began to grow. _I sense…confusion…yet understanding. Maybe he knows…what I mean, but he doesn't know how to do it…I also sense…sadness…_

His mind raced with so many things. _She's right…but how do I…know who to trust…what if I place that trust in someone that will betray me? Is it really right to place this burden on another person if we all have them?_

The conflict in his head only grew, which began to overwhelm June. She found it difficult to breathe, like she was suffocating on his emotions as they came to her. The grip she had placed on the rail increased, like if she let go, she would pass out. Her legs began to weaken however, and she started to sink to the ground. A hand went to clutch her chest, the feeling almost unbearable. Tezuka had looked over to ask June something when he saw what was happening. "June!" He knelt by her side, a hand on her shoulder. "June what's the matter? Are you okay? What can I do?"

Words would not form in her mouth, let alone come out from the lack of air. She clutched her chest more, her head about to explode. Tezuka took a deep breath to keep him from freaking out. "June, I need you to focus on trying to breathe…come on, you're scaring me." She nodded gently, not wanting this to add to his worries. After a few minutes of laborious breathing, she managed to steady her nerves. She felt the relief he was radiating from his body, which also helped to make her feel better. He helped her up as gently as he could, assisting her to a spot on the bench. Tezuka sat next to her, taking one of her hands in his, rubbing her back and soothing her with light talk. When she seemed to be back to normal, he sighed. "June, are you okay? You scared me, what happened?"

She looked at him, a weak smile on her tired face. Dealing with so much strain really took its toll on her sometimes. "That was…one of the things I wanted to tell you. Luckily for me…you're very good at handling your negative emotion…" He looked at her, perplexed. _Wait, I did this to her?_ "What do you mean by that?" Tezuka asked, the hand rubbing her back falling to his side. June sighed. "Please…just hear me out before you question me okay?" she pleaded, earning an understanding nod from Tezuka.

"I have a very unique ability…to read and feel the emotions of the people around me.'

"That's not very uncommon, most people would call the intuition." Tezuka tried to reason, only becoming more confused as she shook her head. "There's more to it than that. What happened to me just now was from an overload. All the emotions you were trying to keep pent up a minute ago…I could feel every one of them. This…ability makes me what's known as an empath. If the feelings are negative, I start to get down also, it could even harm me. When there's a lot of joy, I've very lively. Every time you feel irritated Tezuka, I know. I've known since the day I met you."

He sat in silence, just letting her words sink in. Every time he was frustrated, or sad or even happy, she had felt it too. From day one, she had shared his burdens, even if she didn't know what they were.

"You don't believe me do you…" June asked, looking at him carefully, trying to read what he was going through. But he came up blank. "No it explains a lot." Tezuka replied with an intrigued tone. "I had it in my head that you were psychic, but this will still explain how you managed to know what was going on in my head. That's quite a gift you have there June. Are you the only one in you family that can do it?" Contemplating on whether or not she should reveal everything, she shook her head. _If I'm going to tell him about this, I might as well tell him everything. _"No my sister also has these abilities, though they're not as strong as mine. I would say she was the luckier one."

"The luckier one?" He questioned. Surely something like this was rather special. Maybe even one of a kind the way they had it. Sure it had its bad points, but was it really a burden? "I can see how this seems to be such a blessing…but it really ruins the surprise sometimes. And then you have to worry about the people that always had negative emotions…. they're difficult to even breathe around, let alone think and talk around. You're always worried about what other people are feeling. It's tiring to keep up with day after day…" she replied sadly. "This sounds like a pity me story doesn't it?"

"Not at all." Tezuka answered simply. She nodded gratefully. "So you're an empath…" She let him sort through his thoughts for a bit. "I didn't mean to let my feelings hurt you." He said after some time. "No…it's okay. I realize that this must be hard on you too. Melissa and I tend not to share this information with anyone else because then they're constantly troubled with keeping their emotions in check." She squeezed his hands gently. "Please…don't change because of this."

"I don't know what I would do to respond to it anyway." Tezuka truthfully replied. "All I can do is trust you, since you placed your trust in me." She held such an uncertainty in her eyes. She was scared. "Look, I don't know all the details." Tezuka started, looking out at the horizon. "But I know that you confided in me something you don't tell many people, if any. I'll do my best to keep your secret."

"And I am grateful for that." June said. His hands were a contrast to her own. His were warm and firm, hers were cold and shaky. "June…was there more you wanted to tell me?" Tezuka finally asked. "I don't want to force you to tell me of course." He felt her hands quivering under his. It was a rare side of June that he was sure few had seen before him.

"June…" he said softly.

"Tezuka…tell me something…about yourself." She answered after some time. This took him aback. He was never really asked to talk about himself. "Well I…I don't know where to begin really." Tezuka answered honestly. June smiled gently. "Start with your family…is there anyone you look up to? Someone you don't like? Someone…you fear?"

He wasn't sure how he should answer that. But he opened his mouth to speak anyway. "Well I really look up to my grandfather. It's because of him that some of the values I have are instilled in me. He taught me to be honest and hard working. To never let my guard down and see each task through to the end. My grandfather told me not to be afraid to failure, and that you only disappoint someone when you quit early than finish late. Despite his age, he's very lively. I think everyone in my household is positive he'll outlive us all." He joked, chuckling a bit. June shared his laughter. "He sounds like a wonderful man."

"He is. I only wish I'll end up half the man he is…to repay everything he's done for me. Grandfather is more a father to me than my actual father." June sensed some pain in those words. Things must not have been well in that relationship. "Is your father…around?" she asked. He nodded. "Yes. But he doesn't involve himself in my life at all. If there were a person that I didn't like, or even feared in my house, it would be my father. And I don't mean fear him as he's abusive or anything, I fear he'll try to take over my life, he'll try to change who I am. I don't want to change who I am June…people tell me not to fear change, but I fear losing myself more than anything. What if that happens when I change myself?"

"I don't know Tezuka…but you never know these things if you're so passive about life. I used to be. The same way." He scoffed a bit. There was no way. "June I find that really hard to believe." She gave him a look. "Is that so? Why do you find that hard to believe Tezuka?" Tezuka blinked, taking note of her serious gaze and stern voice. "You just seem so full of life. I thought you were just born that way." He answered as honestly as he could. It did seem to make sense to June that people viewed her that way. "It didn't start out this way. I used to think that people who couldn't control their emotions would be better off without them, so I closed them off. I didn't talk to people, I wouldn't smile. I was a lot like you…only with better fashion sense and different anatomy." She tried to joke in the middle of it. It only seemed to prove her point of her changing drastically. "An empath that couldn't feel the emotions of other people…it sounds ridiculous really."

Tezuka paused to think about her words, letting them sink in. "So what happened? You're so different from then, to the point where people now would never believe you." June nodded in agreement. 'I know…it's because of Melissa that I changed." "Because…of Melissa? Your younger sister?" once again June nodded. "When she was born…she was such a frail child. I think I told you that." She looked at him to let him confirm or deny that. When he consented a yes she continued. "Despite being unable to do anything with her life, she smiled no matter what. I'll never forget, one day when I sat with her in the hospital room, she looked at me and said 'June, do you hate life so bad that you'd remain a block to your family?'" June shook her head. "She's always been a smart child. Even with her abilities far weaker than mine, she knew what I was doing. She told me that masking what I feel…only hurts those around you more than simply telling them. That people like her can't live a good life when people like me took mine for granted. After that…I took a long look at myself, and realized I could be better. That if I lived for someone like my sister, I could go on with no regrets. That my smile, in all its sincerity, was better than any medicine she would ever take." She thought for a moment, her grip on his hands tightening a bit. "I was scared like you were…that I would lose myself. But like your grandfather said, it's better to finish late…than to quit early. This is no different. "

He raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"It would be better to get lost along the way…and find a guide to help you along…than decide to not try at all. You want to be strong Tezuka…. that realization, that journey…will make you strong enough to get through many things in life." He looked at her, a smile forming on his lips. "You act far older and wiser than you are." He joked. She laughed. "Maybe I act older, but I won't act wiser. I only tell you what I know."

"There is quite a bit of truth to your words June. Thank you for your advice." He said, honestly grateful. "But this isn't what you wanted to talk about." She shook her head. He was a sharp one. "No it's not. I just…wanted to hear that you had fears and weaknesses too. Otherwise you seemed as perfect as a human could get." He cleared his throat, trying to prevent a blush from gracing his face. "You flatter me…"

"No I only tell you the truth. Other than your emotions, you seemed so certain and firm…I envied that. You're so strong and honest…" "June I think that you're the stronger one. To be able to smile despite all that happened to you and your sister. You're far more honest than I could hope to be." She blushed as he praised her. "Anyway…Tezuka…I just.. I really admire you. " Her words caught him by surprise. She was the one with this entire history of obstacles and bravery, and she admired him? "I don't…understand June. "He answered after some thought. "I see that you're on the path to wonderful things. That no matter what you set your mind to…you're going to accomplish." This entire conversation was making Tezuka's head spin. "June I…don't understand what you're trying to say here…"

The next thing he knew, he felt her lips pressed against his gently. He was completely surprised, but he enjoyed the contact with her. June pulled back after a minute. "I-I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me there.." _**Don't just let her think that what she did wasn't okay! Do something!**_ He yelled at himself. "Tezuka…I know this is sudden to say, since we haven't known each other long…but I think I…" she shook her head. "No. I know I do…" She made sure to look him straight in the eye. "I love you."

June braced herself for whatever answer he might come back with. What she said was something she had intended to keep to herself for a little while. After all, Tezuka wasn't the kind of guy she'd figure would accept her feelings right away. He needed time and space to think about it, to weigh in the pros and cons of such matters. She certainly didn't want to be in the way of any plans he was making for himself either. Tezuka seemed to draw a blank, as she couldn't feel anything coming from him at all. This worried her. "T-Tezuka…are you okay?" she asked. So long as he would just answer her, she didn't mind if he simply flat out rejected her. The silence was killing her.

He didn't know what to say. He had had girls confess that they liked him, and even some that asked him out. But he had never heard a girl say they loved him. It was a new feeling for him. It meant even more to him knowing that the first girl bold enough to approach Tezuka with such a confession was June. But how in the world was he supposed to answer that? Say he loved her too? He wasn't sure how he felt about saying something so powerful. But he did feel a strong emotion in his chest when she was near him. So…how to answer?

He leaned towards her and without further hesitation… without thinking about the consequences or the reality he would later have to face… he touched her lips with his. And what he had expected to be a feather-like kiss, soon turned into a kiss of passion, which deepened when her reaction to his touch led her to pull him towards her. It was the most strange and yet amazing thing he had ever experienced. He felt a storm of passion (which before this he had been able to keep at bay) exploding inside him uncontrollably when she had answered his kiss. And when they had finally broken apart to breathe, he smiled at the beautiful face that smiled, amidst a blush, solely at _him_.

"I don't know what that means June…but I do know this…" His smile was genuine as he wrapped an arm around her waist, looking out at the darkened sky. "I know that I like being near you…and when I am. I feel at peace." He didn't know how this would make her feel, since he didn't say he loved her back. But he admitted feelings he never thought he would. Tezuka was never like this with any other girl. Her head rested on his shoulder. "Please don't worry Tezuka…I know that this is actually a big step for you. I feel…proud…to be the one to receive those words from you." Entwining her fingers with his, she smiled brightly. "Besides…I'll just have to stick around long enough for you to say you love me, right?" He chuckled at her confidence. Then again, it was a quality of hers that he found endearing.

"We'll see June…we'll see."

She closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the moment. An immense weight was lifted off her shoulders, and she was free to express herself fully. "You know…when you don't have the façade going on…and you're like this…you're rather sweet." She pointed out. "I don't know what you mean." He said sarcastically. June laughed. "Joke all you like…but you're nothing but a…"

"A what?" he asked, glancing down at her, not exactly liking the devious look on her face. It was bad enough that she called him…Tezzy. She shook her head, trying to prevent a fit of giggles since she just KNEW he would not like what she had to say. And this time, she didn't mind sparing him that torment. "June come on. You can tell me you love me, but you can't tell me what I'm like…" he questioned. She really made no sense sometimes.

"I'm doing this for your sake!" she said laughing. He smiled, reaching over and mercilessly tickling her sides. "Nuuuuuuuuu!!" she screamed. Tickling was a formidable weakness for her. How on earth he could have figured that out, be it a guess or not, was beyond her. He laughed as she screamed her dismay, making sure that escape was not possible as she thrashed around. Her laughs stopped when she grabbed his hands. "Fine!! Haha haa…I'll tell you…" she said, quelling her laughter to look at him. "I was going to say that you're nothing but a big softie…like a teddy bear." Her eyes widened as a thought hit her. "Oh my gosh! Tezzy Bear!!"

He groaned. _**Oh my god…just when I didn't think it could get any worse…**_

"How on earth do you think of these June?" came the incredulous question. She shrugged. He had to admit it was pretty creative, albeit embarrassing. "I suppose we should head back now..I wouldn't want your sister or father to worry…" Tezuka suggested. June nodded, wishing the night didn't have to end so soon. But he had a point. She didn't know how long Melissa would be able to deal with father alone. He rose from his seat on the bench and held a hand out to her. "Are you better now?" he asked, making sure that she wasn't hurt enough to walk. He would offer to carry her if she was. June shook her head. "No I think I'm okay…strong positive emotions like that…what I felt in the kiss, just cancels out all the negative. It's one of the most powerful feelings I've felt." Tezuka sighed inwardly with relief. "That's good…" This would also work to his advantage. If she was hurting from an overload near him, he could help clear things for her. June took his hand, pulling herself up, surprised when he pulled her into a hug. "Thank you…" he whispered.

"F-for what?" she asked.

"For telling me what was troubling you." Was his reply. "It just makes things easier for the both of us." June nodded in agreement. "Yes…I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner…I just found it rather sudden. It still is of course…but I…I can't hide who I am, or how I feel. But hearing you thank me for being honest with them brings me joy." They made their way down the stairs back to the streets towards June's home. This time however, they went hand in hand. They were unsure of what would take place after these events. But whatever happened, Tezuka was willing to endure the results as long as June was by his side. This much he was certain.

They stopped outside the gate as June turned to face Tezuka. "I would invite you in…but I wouldn't wish that on anyone, let alone the one I love…" she said sadly. He shook his head. "No it's okay. I understand that things are probably rough on you and Melissa. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" Tezuka planted a quick kiss on June's forehead, earning a grunt of protest. "I think you missed the target." She taunted. He chuckled, pulling her close and kissing her lips sweetly. "Thank you Tezzy." Tezuka ignored her little comment, and turned to leave. The loud crash and even louder shouting coming from inside the home shattered the mood set between the young couple and June grabbed her head. "Oh no..What's going on now?" she asked, running for the door. Tezuka debated between going after her and simply letting them solve things the usual way. Shaking his head, he knew he could hardly let things settle the normal way, and took off inside the house after June.

* * *

**A/N- OMGaara this has got to be one of the longest chapters I have ever written. A lot goes on in here in terms of talking, so once again description goes out the window. I also have to blame my lack of creativity on someone who had taken my lovely pairing here and diced it to ribbons. (You know who you are) I honestly couldn't write about these two because I was Rping with a buddy that paired June with Fuji. And once I saw that it works all TOO well, I couldn't get my mind off it! Grrr, lol. But I figured that a long chapter makes up for a long wait…sort of. I tried anyway. XD But this one was full of cutesy moments and confessions. The next one…set on some drama with the family. That'll be fun to write. Now you get to see why their dad is such a jerk off!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'd like to think I'm back in the writing groove…but I'm not, lol. So this chapter…might not turn out as well as I thought it would. Once again I ask that you bear with my crappy descriptions, XD. Cause I am very dialogue-oriented. I'll work on that…eventually. Haa haa.**

_**Disclaimer- I do NOT own The Prince of Tennis or any of the characters from said series that I use in this story. Specifically Tezuka for this chapter as I don't think I'll be using anyone else. Haa haa**_

* * *

_**Oh my god…**_

What he looked at when he entered the Wonder house was NOT the makings of a stable, happy household. Judging from all the glass broken on the floor and the papers scattered everywhere, this argument had been happening for quite a while. The younger girl was on the floor; having toppled over the chair the older man had shoved her over. She staggered to her feet, looking over at June and Tezuka as they came in.

"Worthless! That's what you are Melissa!" the older man shouted. Tezuka took a moment to look the man over. He appeared simple enough from the back; he wore a simple pair of black work pants and a white muscle shirt, his short dark hair a tattered mess. When he turned around to inspect the new people in the house, Tezuka tensed up. The scowl on the man's face was anything but hidden and his even darker eyes glared with an unspeakable anger from behind his round spectacles. _**This man's dangerous…**_was the second thought that came to Tezuka's mind when he allowed himself to resume thought.

"June! Where the hell have you been?! And who the hell is this!?" he demanded. When June just glared, not dignifying the man with a response, he came over to her and grabbed her arm, jerking her close to him. "Want to run that by me again?! Who the hell is this?!" She knew it was a bad idea on her part, since she knew how he would react, but her father was just so friggen rude! Couldn't he have had the decency to stop the abuse when an outsider was around them? June sighed deeply. "Father…this is Tezuka Kunimitsu from school. He was just escorting me home since I was out so late." She defended. "Tezuka…this is my father Katsuhiro Wonder." Instead of exchanging pleasantries, the two males just stared at each other intently. Tezuka didn't like the way he was still gripping her arm. She wasn't a rag doll she was a human being and his lack of decency was testing Tezuka's patience. "Well she's home now, you can leave." Katsuhiro finally spoke up when he realized Tezuka wasn't going to back down. June glared a bit before pulling her arm away from him, putting a hand on Tezuka's shoulder. "Excuse you that was incredibly rude! Come on Tezuka, I'll show you to the door." Before he could protest she started to escort him out. He turned to look at her. "Is he always like that?"

June shrugged. "More or less. I'm sorry you had to see that…I don't bring anyone here because of his behavior." She motioned for him to walk out when he put his hand on the door. "What do you mean more or less?! And why didn't you tell him I called you out to talk with me?" Tezuka looked at her, hoping she would give away the answer without having to say anything. He could already see she was uncomfortable with this situation. Not that he could blame her. Her father was not a pleasant man. "And what? Let my father lay into you? Tezuka it's fine. I leave the house all the time. You saw me one night remember? I just…can't handle it sometimes, so I run." She looked back towards the other room. "The only problem with that is Melissa gets stuck dealing with most of it…I really am selfish." June turned to look back at him but with the next loud thud and even louder shouting Tezuka took off towards the living room. "Tezuka don't!"

He came in to see Melissa sink to the floor, her face distorted with pain as she gripped her shoulder. "I told you to shut up! You shouldn't even be here you ungrateful bitch!" June rushed to Melissa's side. "Melissa!! Are you okay? Let me see…" Melissa shook her head and turned away from her sister. "No June. I need you…to get out of here." June looked at Melissa incredulously. "What do you take me for? You must be mad if you think I'm going to leave you like this!" She rose and looked at Katsuhiro. "Why don't you just go to bed already! You've done enough damage to the place as it is! Since you never help clean it up I think it's fair that you get out of the way so we can fix it like always!" June was expecting this to make him angry, but when he raised his hand and slapped her she was thoroughly surprised. But it wasn't so much that he hit her, it was Tezuka's reaction to witnessing that event. Within seconds Katsuhiro was against the wall, Tezuka gripping onto his shirt tightly. The older man's eyes were wide with anger and shock all rolled into one. "W-what the-"

"What kind of coward would strike down a woman, especially when she happens to be your daughter!? You just give a bad name to all us males when you do disrespectful things like that!" Katsuhiro opened his mouth to let out some sort of slurred protest when Tezuka began again. No way was he going to let this man put his two senses in when he didn't deserve it.

"What's the matter with you? These are your kids! Stop drowning in your self-pity and despair and open your eyes! You're not only disrespecting your wife's memory by drinking, but you're ruining the gifts she left in your care! She saved Melissa because she loved her with everything she had! That's what you do in a REAL family!! You're killing them with this! Can't you see that?" he shouted. Melissa and June just looked at him in complete astonishment. June just witnessed a side of Tezuka she had never seen before. It was a bit frightening yet at the same time it just made him more breathtaking than usual. The older man just looked at Tezuka, unable to say anything as Tezuka released him and watched him scramble up the stairs. When his eyes met hers, June shook her head. "What? Should I have not done that?"

"No it's not that…" she started. It was an event she had never partaken in, and she was needless to say, speechless. "That was amazing…I've never seen anyone stand up to him like that when they meet him…" Tezuka shrugged, holding his hand out to Melissa. "You okay there Melissa?" the younger woman nodded, taking his hand gently. "I think so…thank you…" He helped her to rise, looking up after the older man at the stairs. "Is he going to come back? Because if he is, I'm going to stay here." The girls looked at Tezuka. The guy was crazy! "You must be joking. You're going home right now." June answered firmly. The Regular would hear none of that and he shook his head. "June, this isn't the time to worry about my feelings. After seeing that, you honestly expect me to just turn my back on it and leave? If I can do something about it, I'm not going to let him get away with that." _**Honestly, you're so stubborn Tezuka…**_June thought. Her gaze went back to Melissa, who was still holding her shoulder. "What happened?"

Melissa smiled weakly. "Oh you know, same old same old…" The reply only made Tezuka's blood boil a bit. He just couldn't understand how a man could attack a woman, let alone his own children. If he weren't so even tempered, he would have taught the man a lesson, not leaving it at a simple scolding. "Why don't you guys just move out if it's this bad? I'm sure that given your circumstances you could find a place to go…" June looked away. "Well we don't have any other family…." Tezuka shook his head. "It doesn't even have to be family you guys…so long as you just get out…"

"We know that…it's just…it's not that simple." Melissa dropped her arm. "Just because he abandoned his duty to us doesn't mean we should follow his example and abandon him…he needs us…" Tezuka was honestly surprised with Melissa's answer. "So you're just going to let him hurt you…. because he needs an outlet to his anger? Melissa are you even hearing what you're saying? That's insane."

"Maybe so…but I have to do…what mom is unable to do…because of me" Melissa excused herself from the room to tend to her injury, while June sat in the chair. "Why don't you talk some sense into your sister? You see how bad this is hurting her." June snapped back at him. "You think I don't see that?! I try but if she's just going to stay here, then I need to also to look after her! We're not strong like you are okay?!" she sobbed a bit, feeling utterly helpless. Tezuka sighed gently, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands. "Hey…I didn't mean to reprimand you…I'm just worried that one of these days I'm going to hear that something really bad happened to you guys…. we can't go having the Wonders of the world disappearing right?" June let out a small laugh, her tears lessening. Tezuka really knew how to be sweet, when he wanted. "That was a good one…thanks…" he smiled gently, glad to see she was feeling a little better. "I want you to call me if something like this happens again June." She gave him a look. "I know you don't like it, but it would make me feel better. I don't like the thought of leaving you two in this house. But you're adamant about staying, so the least you can do is let your boyfriend know…what's going on." The look on her face was undeniably surprise. "Wait did you just…." He nodded, and if the situation were any different, she would have been completely thrilled. "You really mean it?" She saw him become visibly irritated and June laughed. "Sorry…it's just…how many girls got to hear something like that from you? It's certainly exciting on my part." He did admit inwardly that he had never accepted a girl's feelings before, let alone consent to being her boyfriend. Something about this…seemed right, felt right. And that alone was enough for him at this point. If he couldn't get the girls out of the house, the least he could do is mediate until he thought of something else. Tezuka had a feeling Fuji would be teasing him about his uncharacteristic involvement in another person's issues, but he'd deal with that when it came to him. He snapped out of his thoughts to see June rubbing her cheek subconsciously. He took her hand and moved it from her face, seeing that it was rather red. "It's okay…it doesn't hurt as bad as it looks. I think the shock hurts more." June tried to joke. He shook his head, shifting from his spot to reach out and kiss her cheek, causing the girl to blush. "T-Tezuka?"

She looked at him, moderately confused. June knew he had a soft side to him, but that was rather bold considering that he was shy as all hell the first time they kissed. Still, the notion was very sweet, and she hugged him gently. "You're the best.. thank you…" He returned her embrace. "I won't let him hurt you if I can help it June…" And June didn't have to use her abilities to know that he was fully determined to do just as he said.

* * *

**A/N- Yey I'm not as lazy and unproductive as I thought I was. XDDD One of my readers called this a soap opera, and I'm starting to see that it really looks like one, lol! But a good one right? Oh noes!! XD Thanks for being patient guys, I have so much going on and with NDK coming up Friday, I won't be updating till I get back Sunday night. But hey, I'll get to have some fun, and maybe come up with some ideas there I won't be able to while sitting at the computer? Something like that. Tootles!**


	11. Chapter 11

**And the wonderful anime madness is over. I met Todd Haberkorn…or should I say Todd Candykorn…. XDDD My lord he's so friggen funny. Aaron Dismuke was there too; it was just an epic weekend last weekend. I'm so glad I went. Anyone who's heard of an anime called Nabari are in for a surprise because it's now DUBBED. XD Kay enough fangirling, onward with the story!**

_**Disclaimer- I do NOT own The Prince of Tennis or any of its characters, most importantly Tezuka and Fuji. I will take credit for the Wonder sisters and their bag of douche father, as they are of my own creation.** _

* * *

After witnessing the events in the Wonder household, Tezuka spent quite a bit of his spare time with June, checking up on her and Melissa after school, asking June if there was anything he could do. And each time she would shake her head, laugh a bit, and playfully scold him for sounding like a mother hen. At first he obeyed, since he had been on the receiving end of her torment and it wasn't always pretty. Tezuka didn't know how much longer he was willing to remain on the sidelines though. Something was going to happen, it would set him off, and he didn't know what he would do. All he knew was that he had to confide this issue into someone he trusted. And when it came to advice, he could only think of one person to turn to…

It wasn't a normal reaction to see Shuusuke Fuji in shock. But there he was, sitting across from Tezuka in his room with a look of surprise on his face. "So I made sure that he was asleep before I left the house, gave June my number in case she needed to get a hold of me and came back here." Tezuka shook his head. "I might have overreacted to some people, but how could I just let that happen Fuji?" He looked to his friend with a questioning glace. Fuji blinked; his friend was quite serious about this. Tezuka had called Fuji rather early in the morning, asking that he come over to his house as soon as possible. It was an odd feeling so Fuji promised to be there as soon as he was ready. At first a million things ran through the tensai's head, and when he arrived at Tezuka's house he was very worried. He was thoroughly surprised to find out that Tezuka wanted to talk about something completely from Fuji's original line of thought. But what he had to say was just an important, even if it was more cause for concern than he originally thought. "Why don't they just leave if it's that bad?"

"I had said the same thing, but Melissa, the younger sister, is pretty adamant about staying there because she would think she's abandoning him otherwise. And June wasn't going to just let her sister handle that alone." He sighed. This was difficult and it wasn't even something he was fully part of. "I don't know what to do Fuji. How I can I condone their actions when I can't do anything about it either?" Shuusuke closed his aquamarine pools and put honest thought into it. If Tezuka was this concerned, he would do his best to help out as well. "I'm sure there's something they can do about staying there though. They can't live in that house much longer; it's not healthy for them. June and Melissa need to move out and get him some help." Tezuka sighed. "I don't think they're going to accept hearing that."

"It's not a matter of them liking it or not Tezuka. It's an issue that is taking over their well-being. They can still visit him if they need, but they need to move out and have a comfort zone. A place where he doesn't know where they are and they don't have to worry about him while they live out their own lives." The tensai explained. Tezuka knew that Fuji was right; it was hard to dispute those facts.

But June…she was stubborn. The girl lived for her sister, and Melissa would rather take the abuse than let her father suffer alone. Fuji, sensing Tezuka's discomfort, put a hand on his shoulder. "We can talk to them together, but I really think they need to hear this. If you really want to reach out to them and help them, then this is the best option." Tezuka nodded, finding strength in his friend's words. He wasn't willing to let things get worse, but there was only so much he could do about it alone up till now.

It wasn't until a month after this particular conversation that he started to realize just how bad things were getting.

* * *

It started like a pretty ordinary day in the small classroom; a couple groups of people scattered across the room as they conversed with their friends. Tezuka sat with Fuji in the back of homeroom, talking about how he was glad they were sharing the same class this semester when he looked up and saw June come in. She came over to the two boys and smiled, asking them "What's up? It's still raining out there, can you believe this weather?" as if there wasn't a care in the world. Tezuka could feel the eyes of their peers on the three students, specifically June. "June…" he said softly, looking at her, VERY concerned. Her school uniform was dirty, like she fell down on the way to school, and her left eye was covered with a white eye patch. "What?" she asked. Fuji blinked, rather confused by her appearance. He didn't know her as well as Tezuka did, but he had spent quite a bit of time with the young woman to know that she was very conscious about her appearance. "What's with the eye patch?" he asked her. She tilted her head to the side. "Eye pat-oh!" she put a hand over the bandage. "Well you know Halloween is coming up soon…or something like that. I just thought I'd start figuring out what I wanted to be. So I'm experimenting with the pirate concept." Fuji sighed a bit. "Mou June don't you trust me? Look at your clothes. If it were just the patch I might have believed you…but your clothes.." June looked down at herself. "Oh, I was running late this morning because I was helping Melissa with something. I saw the time and took off for school, and ended up tripping in a mud puddle. Heh…I would have gone back home but my father would have been livid if he knew I would be any later…ya know?" She looked at each male, smiling a bit more. "Kay I'm gonna see if I can get a change of clothes from a friend. Someone take notes for me?" she asked, waving a bit and leaving the class. Fuji looked at Tezuka. "I would guess June is naturally a bad liar huh?" Tezuka had clenched his fists under the desk as she talked. He nodded at Fuji. "Oh yes…doesn't know how to to save her life…" he rose from his seat and followed after her.

* * *

"June open the door, I know you're in there." Tezuka said, slightly irked that when she saw him following she ran for it. He had managed to corner her in the shower room but she shut the door to the stall on him. "Well I'm changing, you can wait till I get out." She said, peeking her head over the stall and sticking her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes. "You can just tell me the truth while you change…what happened today?"

He heard her stop moving around. " It didn't happen today…it happened last night…and I really don't want to think about it right now. Can I just go to school and keep my mind on work for now? Is that too much to ask for?" He sighed. "It's not going to fix anything just running away from it June…What did he do this time?" Her voice cracked a bit as she spoke. "Melissa…is in the hospital…he came home really hammered last night and just completely took it out on her…the house is totally trashed…I couldn't do anything for her…" Tezuka shook his head. "That…isn't your fault June…you were at the state qualifying match with the volleyball team…"

The thud against the stall led him to think she hit it with her fist or her bag. "That doesn't change that she was hurt so bad! I came home and she was on the floor, bleeding badly, trying to clean the mess up…" she choked on a sob. "Melissa could barely move…and all she was worried about was the fucking mess he made while he pummeled her into the floor…I don't understand…how she can love him so much..that she would accept this…Kunimitsu…" he realized just how seriously upset she was when she addressed him by his first name. No pet names, no pretending. She meant this.

"I'm scared…I don't know…how long we can take this…before something bad happens to us." Tezuka sighed a bit and pushed open the door to the stall, June looking over at him with tears rolling down her face. She didn't fight him as he pulled her into a hug. He stroked her hair until he heard her tears lessen. "What happened to your eye June…" he asked gently. Tezuka didn't want to upset her more, but he needed to know how serious this was getting. Melissa was in the hospital and June was injured as well. "It's not….too bad…I was patching Melissa up and he came back down, screaming about the mess. I tried to stand up to him..I wanted nothing more than to just tell him we were done and we weren't going to take it anymore…but he was so angry….I couldn't breathe right…" she sighed. "But I tried to convey my feelings…and he tried to come after me…I ran from him but he grabbed my foot when he fell…that caused me to fall too…and I hit the end of the table with the side of my head. I woke up and Melissa was cleaning me up…I cut the area around my eye…luckily it won't scar…and it didn't damage my eye…nor was my dad around when I came too..I guess he passed out after he hit the floor…at least that I can be grateful for." He felt her shake a bit more and pulled her closer. June felt safe in his arms, trying to find comfort in his concern for her. "Melissa and I went to the hospital together…they said I suffered some head trauma…but Melissa has some internal bleeding…maybe even a broken arm…" She looked up at him, showing him just how vulnerable she really was. "But I didn't want to stay there. They'd ask too many questions that I wouldn't give answers to...I had to leave, to come see you and the others." June sighed. "I wanted to remember what it felt to be just like everyone else for the day..." He nodded in understanding. Even empaths needed a break from the emotional overload. "Kunimitsu…what should…what should I do?"

In all honesty he didn't know what to do either. He cared about June, and her sister. And both of them were seriously hurt right now. "I want you to come to class and take on as much as you are able. Don't strain yourself. When you're done or class lets out, I'll go with you to see Melissa. I'm sure she'd like to hear about your day…" June nodded, agreeing so far with his plan. It was better than anything she would have come up with. "When we leave for the night….I want you to stay at my house." He felt her jump at that part, not knowing quite sure if she was in shock or just completely against it. "I just don't want you dealing with your dad by yourself. You'd make Melissa worry and I would feel better knowing that you're safe from harm at least for one night."

June took that idea into consideration. He was really worried about her, and she was positive Melissa would try and leave the hospital if she found out June was staying with her father alone. Too many fights took place when she did. That's why Melissa had quit her tennis tour and settled down into the school life. June had only known Tezuka for a couple months now, but it felt like he was with her for damn near all of her life. He was there for her, and Tezuka kept that hidden quirky smile just for her. He still hadn't told her he loved her, but through his actions he showed her that he cared for her more than any girl that had come into his life previous. And that was enough for her.

"But what…would your parents think?" Tezuka paused. He really didn't take that into consideration. His mother wouldn't mind but he wasn't so sure how his father would take things. And his grandfather…that would be interesting since he was back from his trip to the country. He hadn't met June yet. "I don't think you have to worry about that. But if you'd like, we can ask them about it after school before we see Melissa." The oldest Wonder liked the sound of that plan, rather curious as to what sort of insane thoughts his mother would come up with about them this time. "Alright…thank you Tezzy…" He smiled a bit despite feeling the small irritation forming in his brain. Tezuka could live with this one for now. It seemed to make her feel better when she said it. Couldn't exactly say the same thing for him…

"You're welcome. You finish changing and come back to class." She grinned, kissed his cheek and pulled out of his arms. "I think you missed the target." He teased. June laughed. "Using my own retorts against me…sneaky man…" June pulled him against her and kissed him full on this time, running a hand through his sandy hair. It sent a pleasant chill down his spine, and he blushed a bit when she pulled away. "…I'll be going back to class now…" he mumbled, slinking his way out of the locker room. She smiled gently as he shut the door. "Little by little…I see the ice man unthawing…and he's even more wonderful now than he was before…" June sighed dreamily and shut the door to the stall.

* * *

"Ah Tezuka you're back." Fuji pointed out, looking past him to see if June had followed him. "Saa you know if you two did something dirty you should come in at the same time. Coming in at different times leads to even more suspicion." Tezuka resisted the urge to hit him, but settled for giving him laps for some silly reason during practice. "We didn't do anything like that. Don't you think we're a little young for something so serious? Honestly Fuji…" he sighed and sat down next to him. Fuji laughed. He was sadistic like that, even to his close friends. They both looked up when June came in a bit later, cleaned up and smiling as usual. Tezuka had to applaud how she could smile honestly despite everything she went through the night before. "Sorry it took so long guys." She sat down in the seat in front of Fuji, turning to face the tensai. "But when we left we got pretty into it with our making out, and I had to fix my hair so it didn't look suspicious. I didn't think he'd leave me to come back alone. Doesn't he know that it's only gonna make people wonder more? Seriously…" Tezuka looked at her like she'd lost her mind. Fuji smirked. "I tried to tell him…so you two were up to something…." He said, trailing off to see what she'd say. She nodded. "Oh yea. If you were more of a pal though you could have come with us. The more the merrier you know?" He blinked at that and Tezuka looked like he was about to faint. She was so blunt and sadistic he wondered if she and Fuji were related sometimes. "I didn't know that's what you were doing. I would have been there in a hearbeat. So long as you were gentle." Fuji teased back. Tezuka could hardly believe his own girlfriend and longtime best friend were seriously talking about this! The two teases laughed at Tezuka's expression. "Awww you know we don't mean it Tezzy." June replied soothingly, reaching over to pat his head, only increasing his dread. Sometimes he had to wonder…why did he like this girl so much? June put her hand down and looked at him, sensing his peeved attitude and smiled THAT smile. The one that told him she loved him.

That was all the answer he needed.

* * *

**A/N Yea I know I'm lazy and unproductive with my updates. XD And I'll reach a nice turning point in the next chapter that'll start to wrap things up. I wasn't expecting this story to be so long, but there's a lot to explain before it's all over…and I don't think most of you mind. Lol….or do you?? XP Thanks so much for your patience, and I'll be working on Lacuna so those guys don't maul me. AHAHAHAHAA.**


	12. Chapter 12

**It's seriously been too long since I updated this story and I apologize. I just got back into a writing rhythm thanks to my friend Rani talking to me about some ideas. It's hard to get back into the TezukaXJune mindset when I've been living out different lives for them. XD Anyways, I'm sorry for the wait once again and uh…sorries again for Tezzy's extreme OOCness. Bear with me; he'll be in character somewhere towards the end…**

_**Disclaimer- I do NOT own The Prince of Tennis or any of the characters associated to the story. Melissa and June Wonder are mine tho, so….deal with it.**_

* * *

"I have a favor to ask you." Tezuka raised his eyes from the book he was reading across the table to his girlfriend. The school year was almost over and they were studying together for their end of the year exams. Well…he was anyways. When schoolwork came into the picture, June seemed to shrug it off and push it away. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her actually study since they came into the library. She texted her sister on the phone for a while and flipped through a comic book. Tezuka knew she wasn't lazy, as he'd seen her grades. When he inquired about her study habits she teased and told him 'I just ask Fuji for his brains and he lets me borrow what he doesn't need.' Sadly when he asked Fuji if he knew anything about it…he said the same thing…He had some strange people in his life. Tezuka waited for her to finish what she was talking about.

He raised an eyebrow when she didn't reply. "I'm listening." June smiled and reached over, pulling the book on the table so she could see his face. "I need you to spend tomorrow afternoon with my sister. I have to deal with the doctors again and it's not a good idea to leave her by herself." Tezuka blinked at her request. It had been a couple days since the last incident with the girls' father, but it was enough to send June to the hospital just so she could check for a fractured wrist. It turned out fine, but he knew she needed to go back just to get a note so she could still play the rest of the volleyball season out. He didn't mind June's younger sister or anything but he had to ask. "Then why don't you just take her with you?" June shook her head and leaned back in her chair. "Believe me I would were it really an option, but she's so sensitive to hospitals. She lived in one for ten years of her life remember? It doesn't seem fair to make her spend time in there when she doesn't need to. It's not very long Kunimitsu…please?" she clapped her hands together in a praying gesture. Tezuka smiled and sighed. "I don't mind." He answered simply; attempting to get back to his reading when he thought the conversation was over.

June let out an exasperated sigh and put her hand over the open pages, hindering his progress. "Kunimitsu you're such a school nerd." He looked up at her, an irritated twitch in his eyebrow. "Was there something else you wanted to talk about June?" he asked 'politely' June stuck a tongue out once his frustration hit her. "I was just gonna ask if you wanted to hang out afterwards. I'd just be a third wheel to you and that book though. Never mind please continue." Tezuka sighed. "June that's not it…I just really need to get some work done. I don't seem to have your natural smarts." June looked away and he could tell she was hurt. "You don't have to worry about Melissa tomorrow then. Just concentrate on you work then. I'm sorry I had the nerve to ask." He opened his mouth to protest when she propped her book up so he couldn't see her face. Some people's girlfriends…he thought, shaking his head and going back to reading. Knowing her, she'll be mad for a while and call me later on tonight to get her way anyways….he thought to himself as he flipped a page.

He didn't receive a call that night.

In fact he didn't get one in the morning before he headed out either. Granted June was by no means a morning person, she had a small fit when she had to be awake early on the weekends. School being so early was crime enough, she'd tell him while they walked together in the mornings. Still he had intended to keep an eye on her sister. He was busy yes but he was by no means insensitive. And he had said he would… Luckily he knew where to find Melissa that afternoon, worry on his mind as he walked over to the courts to find the younger sister. Tezuka hadn't heard from June all day. He wondered, could she really be that upset about this? She knew he liked to focus on his studies…

"If you frown all the time your face will stick like that." A voice brought him from his thoughts and he looked down at June's little sister. "I'm sorry, did June happen to say anything to you about what happened yesterday?" Melissa put her tennis racket in her bag and slung it on her shoulders. She paused before she answered. "Actually no. I knew she was mad but she didn't say why. She went to her room early and talked to a friend of hers for a while before going to bed. This may sound shocking, but she was actually awake before I was this morning. She'd eaten and just left. I didn't think June wanted me at home by myself, with father taking a turn for the worst, so I just came out here to train and then head out to study for exams. Come to think of it, why are you here?" she giggled a bit. Tezuka smiled. The two sisters were so very different. "June asked me yesterday if I would spend time with you today. I said yes but I gave her the impression that I'd rather study than spend time with her…she's probably still upset." He explained. Melissa listened and nodded. "That explains why you feel bad. Don't worry too much about June. She bounces back pretty fast. You just have to give her some time to cool down. I appreciate the sentiment but you don't have to look after me. Go ahead and go study."

"If I do that June would only get more angry with me. How about this, we can go study together. This way I'm able to make sure you're alright, and afterwards I can spend time with June and try to fix this." Melissa, like him, worried about her exams as well, despite their smarts. She nodded. "I think that'd work out perfectly. I had a couple things I was confused about that you might be able to clear up for me." He smiled and nodded, following her down the street. "I think this is the first time you and I really spent time together Melissa. June talks about you all the time though. How come you don't go to the same school as us?" He looked over at her as he spoke. She was such a small girl. Could that be from her condition? He wondered. Tezuka recalled June mentioning Melissa having a weak muscle composition. It had inhibited her ability to do everyday things up until her mother taught her tennis as a therapeutic treatment." I don't plan to stay in school for much longer that's all. Once the summer hits I'm going to join the tennis circuit and travel. I…I need to get away from here. I still plan to do schoolwork and return to school of course. It just won't be for a long time. Hopefully I'll have built the confidence to stand up for myself by then." She paused, stopping her walk. He stopped as well when he realized she'd stopped.

"I'm nothing like my sister. She has everything going for her. A strong healthy body, and a bright prosperous future. She's funny and energetic…this may sound incredibly preposterous but June actually used to talk and act like I did. Her life kind of turned around when she came to Japan. And I think.." she smiled at him. "I think being with you has really made my sister happier than she's ever been." Tezuka blinked, not sure what to say about that. He made June the happy she was now. When thought about that way, he could understand why she was so close to him all the time. It wasn't an overbearing clingy; she knew when it started to bother him. Being an empath certainly helped their relationship. "I'm definitely going to do what I can to make her forget about yesterday. I didn't mean to imply I was too busy for her." Melissa laughed. "June should know better by now. Don't let it get to you." He nodded at her reassurance. Melissa had a calming effect on him, not only from her ability to empathize…but she really knew people in a different way from June. It made them unique to each other and to others. "Now let's get to those books shall we?"

Before either of them realized, the sun had started to set. Melissa stretched her arms above her head. "Man I didn't think my brain could retain so much information. I hope it doesn't leak out onto my pillow when I sleep tonight." She joked, laughing a bit. Tezuka chuckled. "You're very smart Melissa, I don't think you'll have any problem keeping it in your head. I just wish your sister were easy to decipher like a book." Melissa looked over at him. "I think that's just personal ambition for her. To be difficult. It's part of her charm." He shared a laugh with the younger girl. That certainly made sense to him. They waited for the light to turn before they crossed the street. "I think I'll call June in a little bit…see if she's still mad at me." He spoke after a minute or so of silence. He looked over at her when she didn't answer him. "Melissa?" Her attentions was occupied elsewhere. "I know who she was talking to last night…" she said gently. Tezuka blinked in confusion and followed Melissa's line of sight, frowning slightly when he saw himself.

June sat at a table across the street at the coffee shop with another person. Or rather…a male. He had dark shoulder length hair and a round pair of spectacles. He lifted a cup to his lips elegantly before making June laugh once more. From the school uniform he was wearing, it was no mystery who this guy was to Tezuka. He'd seen him on the courts before, façade effortlessly played along with his tensai abilities and energetic double's partner.

Hyoutei's Oshitari Yuushi.

Tezuka's mouth gaped open in surprise. What was he doing here for one? And why was he sitting with _his_ girlfriend? Come to think of it, how did June know Oshitari? He clenched a fist at his side, heading back to the crosswalk. He needed answers. Now. Melissa reached out and grabbed his arm. "You're not listening to me. Don't go getting the wrong idea based off what you see." He gave her a look of bewilderment. How could she be so calm about this? Melissa let go of his arm. His emotions were starting to overpower her. He'll figure it out himself I guess….she thought as she watched him run across the street once the coast was clear. Oshitari saw Tezuka before June sensed him, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Tezuka-san this is unexpected." June blinked and turned around. "Tezz-" he cut her off before she could finish. "I figured you were mad at me but…this? June what are you thinking?" June paused and tried to read him. He was so angry and…was that hurt she felt? "Kunimitsu I'm not…it's just.." she looked over at Oshitari. "Yuushi-kun's an old friend of mine…I hadn't seen him in a while…it's not..what you think it is…" Oshitari pushed up his glasses with his middle finger, chuckling softly. "Oh dear it seems like there's been a misunderstanding. Tezuka-san, June is your girlfriend?" he tsked at the woman across from him. "You could have told him we were meeting up today." She looked down. "He was mad at me, I gave him today so he could focus on his studies. I didn't think he wanted to talk to me." Tezuka ewehed. Melissa finally came up behind him. "Me mad at you? You were mad at me!" he protested. "Yea I was mad but I talked to Yuushi-kun last night and he told me to consider how you felt and to leave you be, so I left this morning to meet him at the station and just spent the day with him." Melissa looked over at Oshitari. "She better have gone to the hospital like she was supposed to." He chuckled, looking over at Melissa. "Give me some credit Melissa-chan, I'm not irresponsible." Tezuka just stood there, confused and embarrassed. "June I..I'm sorry. I didn't mean to think that you…" she shook her head and he stopped. "It was my fault. I didn't mean to hurt you from it." June stood up and kissed him. She wouldn't tell him but it brought her some comfort that he'd be hurt if she were with another guy. Oshitari rested his chin on his hands. "Please, have a seat guys…I have to hear how this happened…" he said with a smirk. June laughed and scooted her chair over so Tezuka could sit next to her and Melissa next to Oshitari. Tezuka cringed a little on the inside and thought only one thing as he held June's hand and explained the happenings of their relationship.

He's as scary as Fuji.

* * *

**Waaaaah it's been so long since I worked on this story so I apologize a million times for the quality and whatever. It'll get better once I get back into the mindset and work does not get in the way of late night writing. Hee hee Oshitari is one of my favorite PoT characters so I threw him in this chapter. I had always intended to put him in the mix somewhere, as by design he was June's friend. How that happened…wouldn't you like to know? XD Already I have ideas for the next chapter so it should be out shortly. And if not you may proceed to beat me with a stick.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Omgosh I liiiive! Sort of. XD I'm sorry about how crappy I am with updating fics but some days I have the urge to write and other days nothing will come no matter how long I stare and try you know? Anyways, this was a long time coming and I hope you'll be patient with me as I work on this final stretch. **

_**Disclaimer- Blah I get sick of writing these but I still do not own Prince of Tennis or the characters associated to it. The Wonder sisters are mine and this somewhat crappy fic is mine. Lol that's about it. **_

* * *

It was a warm, pleasant morning when the question was asked. And no, the question was not 'June was actually awake in the morning?' even though that girl did not agree with the hours of rising before noon. XD

" So Kunimitsu…When am I ever going to meet your other friends?" June asked out of the blue as they were lounging out in the grass of her backyard. He looked over at her, baffled at the randomness of the question. Tezuka thought about this honestly. He didn't know himself. It wasn't that he was ashamed of his relationship but they hadn't been very public about it. None of the regulars aside from Fuji and Oishi knew Tezuka was even dating someone. It was a good question. He'd have done so if it had been brought up sooner. Now they were on break and calling the others together would prove difficult depending on their plans. Usually at least one of them was traveling somewhere for a holiday. "Is it to spare my innocence?" she inquired. Tezuka laughed.

"I'm surprised you know what that is." He teased, earning himself a swift punch to the shoulder. They shared a laugh before they went quiet, June in thought and Tezuka just staring up at the clouds. It had been a long time since he last did such a thing. Just…be. Staring at the clouds and thinking of nothing else. June simplified his life quite a bit, but that didn't mean she didn't also complicate things. "I wonder if they'll like me…" she thought aloud. He looked at her, taking her hand gently. "You'd fit right in, don't worry about it." He assured her, and this time she moved to kiss him. "When we get back to school I'll be sure to call them together before practice and introduce you." June smiled and nodded, eager to meet Tezuka's other friends. "What about your friends June? I haven't met any of them other than Oshitari. Which, may I ask HOW that happened? He doesn't strike me as someone you would be friends with normally"

June was silent for a few moments before looking back up at the sky. "Well for the first part of that, it's because I don't really have any other real friends. I get along with lots of people at school but we're not close or hang out aside from class. Most of them are scared of my father. And I guess sometimes I'm too busy to hang out even when I want to because of Melissa. I can't leave her alone here…and you're really the only one that doesn't mind when she comes along on our days out. It's very sweet and it takes a lot of worry away from me." She admitted and he smiled gently. He wasn't an empath like his girlfriend but…he started to notice things. About how she looked and how that was affected by the people around her. He could tell when she was worried and hiding it or when she was sad and hid it behind a smile or sarcasm. "I like Melissa. She's a sweet girl given a rough hand and she still gives it her all. I can relate to that somehow. I've told you two that I'll always be here for you."

"That's probably why she reveres you as an older brother. How sweet." June said with a squee. "And for the second question…I met Yuushi-kun the day we moved to Japan. Father had been drinking…and Melissa and I got away from it. We sat at the train station just wondered what on earth what we going to do, you know? We moved to a strange place that wasn't home at all…Mom was gone and Melissa was still in shock about it all. The funeral was but days before…" Tezuka squeezed her hand gently, and June smiled before continuing. "Melissa always smiles when I dance..so I got up and told her not to frown anymore and started to dance. Back then I wasn't very good at it."

"That doesn't sound possible." Tezuka said. June was graceful and elegant and when he first watched her dance, he could tell she was a natural. June laughed at that. "You're very flattering today." She teased. "A bunch of people started to gather around me and some even gave us money. Before I even realized it, someone had come through the crowd and just took my hand and started to dance with me. I had a dance partner back in Spain when I was in the studio but we never worked as well as Yuushi-kun and I did on the first try." He listened as she spoke, looking over to catch the sparkle in her eyes as she talked about dancing. She was no tennis player, but he could understand her passion just from the look in her eyes. It was similar to his. "I remember the first thing he ever said to me was 'I found my Princess' and he kissed my hand" Tezuka ewehed. Was Oshitari always a silver-tongued playboy? "He came through that station on his way to Osaka to see his cousin Kenya on holidays. What were the odds I would meet him on one of those trips…we decided to meet again on his way back and we did. It was our way of practicing for a while. Then I received summons to meet him at his house one day and he proposed the idea that we become partners and go make ourselves know. Yuushi-kun and I have a lot more in common than just dancing I found. And he's very sweet to Melissa. His older sister loves the girl. I guess Yuushi's family provided us a little stability in the rocky part of our lives. Makes me wish he didn't live so far away, we'd get to spend more time together." June smirked to herself when she felt the jealousy in Tezuka flare up. Being an empath made Tezuka an open book.

"Kunimitsu…don't feel threatened"

"I don't." he lied, looking away.

"You forget who you're talking to, your face and words can lie but your feelings can't." she sat up and hovered over Tezuka, turning his face so their eyes met. "I think it's rather sweet that you get jealous but there is honestly nothing to worry about. If there were a chance that we could have gotten together don't you think Yuushi and I would have? He likes someone else, and I have always looked at him as my friend. You're the only one I love." He smiled.

"You're so careless with that word."

June smiled. "Add it to the list of other things I'm careless with.." she bridged the gap between them and kissed his lips sweetly, before an arm wrapped around her and Tezuka took initiative to deepen it.

* * *

"Saa Tezuka when are you going to tell her you love her?" Fuji asked returning the serve with a bit of effort. Seems Tezuka was in a good mood since he'd left June's house. Tezuka was already at the net to slam it past Fuji for the first point. Though he paused and looked at Fuji there. That was a good question as well…

"You know you do and you know she knows…why don't you just tell her? It's what she's been waiting for, verbal confirmation."

"And how would you know this?" he asked his best friend. Fuji smirked. "Mou how can I not? You can just tell when she's around you. How her face pouts a bit when she tells you she loves you and you just smile and kiss her. Plus…" he chuckled. "She told me. Tezuka sighed. He should have seen that coming…

Tezuka reached into his pocket and pulled out another tennis ball, moving to the back line to start again. "You're avoiding the question…" Fuji pointed out as his friend served the ball. This time Fuji put a fast slice past Tezuka to tie the game. He shook his head as Tezuka simply picked up the ball and bounced it a couple times, serving it after some hesitation.

It wasn't until Fuji was up 5-3 that Tezuka decided he needed to think on and answer the question before Fuji beat him and grew angry that it was while Tezuka was not at the top of his game. That his mind was elsewhere. Fuji handed him a water bottle and sat with him on the bench. "The truth is I don't because I'm…scared." He admitted after a couple minutes of ponderable silence.

"Love isn't supposed to be scary Tezuka…" Fuji said simply. "I know it's not…and when I'm with her I don't feel scared at all. I feel happy…but when she says it to me…I know she's also waiting for me to say it back and it hurts me a little to see her so sad when I don't. We both know my feelings…I'm fortunate to have someone both blessed and cursed with her abilities…but to hear it is another thing. It's confirmation."

Fuji's eyes opened and an eyebrow rose. "You're afraid to commit to her then?" Tezuka shook his head. Once again words were not a strong suit of his, no matter who his girlfriend was. "I don't want to lose her. If I tell her that and something happens…like we split up…it would break my heart. She says it so easily…I don't know if I'm supposed to be able to say it the way she does or not." His best friend smiled sympathetically and put a hand on his shoulder. "Tezuka it comes easy to her because she embraces her feelings. It doesn't make it any less true how often or how easy she says it. June knows you're scared, that's why she doesn't push it. She would still be there even if you never told her…" Tezuka looked down at that. It seemed horribly unfair to do to her. "Don't you think someone so great to you deserves to hear it at least once in a while?"

Tezuka nodded. Once in a while…if he could get past saying it once period. Fuji patted his back. "I'm sure the great Tezuka Kunimitsu will figure something out. Now please, can you get your head in the game? I would hate to beat you under these terms…"

* * *

Tezuka sank into his bed that night with mixed feelings. Satisfaction that he once again beat Fuji in an insanely close match, and the little problem about his feelings being made vocal to his girlfriend floating around. He knew that unless he could find some solution, sleep would not come to him. So he picked up the phone and called June. "Moshi moshi, Wonder residence. Melissa speaking" Tezuka smiled a bit. "Melissa, it's Tezuka. I'm sorry to be calling so late." The young girl smiled a bit. "Tezuka for you it's no problem at all. June's in the bath for the moment..did you want to try back a little later?" she asked. He thought about doing just that when another thought came across his mind. "Actually do you mind if I talk to you about something for a little bit?" Melissa blinked at the strange request but nodded "No not at all."

It always came easily to him to talk to Melissa. She was quiet but an understanding listener. Much like him. And she knew June better than anyone, which made her the prime person to ask something like this to. She was also an empath so she could help him sort through his feelings while not relaying anything to her sister. When he finished Melissa hmm'ed a bit. "June would never leave you Tezuka. You've caught her in a sturdy web. Only you could cut those ties with her. She's not going anywhere, so I don't think you need to worry about the two of you breaking up on her account. Perhaps on your own…but the only one living with the regret of actions past might be you. You should say what you mean Tezuka. You're a very strong person. People are drawn to you. People look up to you, and they love you. My sister loves all those qualities about you. But she also loves that you're sweet and caring and are too shy to let those qualities become visible. It's the same thing here. She knows you love her but you're too shy…or in this case, scared to make them tangible."

He nodded to that explanation. It certainly made sense. "So what do I do Melissa? I don't want to hurt her with this anymore."

There was silence on the line before Melissa finally answered. " She doesn't want you to tell her if it is going to make you uncomfortable or hurt you Tezuka. I think you would know this about her by now. She isn't going to ask anything of you. If you want to tell her….then tell her. Find a good point to let her know. Even if you two were alone that would be fine. If you want to announce it to the world that would be fine also. That might actually make her happier. Though I can't see you doing that." Tezuka gave her a Haa haa that's not funny laugh and she giggled. Though he did give it some thought. He wanted to tell her, but he wanted to be honest with her about it. How was that going to play out? She would know if he was just telling her just to tell her and get it over with. "My sister's out of the bath now so I'll let you two talk for a little bit. If you come up with any ideas, feel free to call me. I can help you somehow." Melissa offered. "I may have to take you up on that. Arigatou Melissa. Have a good night." Melly said her byes before handing the phone to June, who just gave her a look of Who on earth is calling this late? Melissa smiled and shrugged before going off to her room. June ewehed. Some people's sisters…oh well; Melissa was in a good mood so it couldn't have been someone bad. Though it still wasn't her little dream man Echizen Ryoma…Hee hee. "Ello?" she asked.

"June, it's me." Tezuka answered.

"Tezzy!" June smiled excitedly. "What's the matter, could you not sleep until you heard my beautiful voice?" He ewehed. "Hardly." June stuck her tongue out at that phone. "Mean! I'm hanging up then." She warned.

"No, June I was only joking. Actually..it's kind of like that." He admitted, and paused to see if she would in fact hang the phone up on him. She'd been known to do that to him a couple times as is…

"I thought if I talked to you I would be able to sleep easier." June smiled as he said that. "I thought you said I put everything into a haze?" she asked. Tezuka paused. "You do..there are things that when I think about you become mixed up and confusing, but you also bring so much clarity. My feelings and accepting them especially. Anyways…I've been doing some thinking on what we talked about earlier. About you meeting my friends. I'm going to call them tomorrow and see what they're all doing. If all looks well, we can get together over the break within the next couple of days and you can meet them."

"Really?" June asked happily. Tezuka smiled. "Yea, really…" and then it hit him…

_**Find a good point to let her know. Even if you two were alone that would be fine. If you want to announce it to the world that would be fine also. That might actually make her happier…**_

Now to Tezuka..the world was a small place…and his friends were definitely part of that. What better way could he do this than introduce June to his friends as the girl he loved? That sounded sweet didn't it? Question was…could he really pull this off? He wanted to…for her…for them.

"Tezzy? Are you okay?" she asked. He'd been quiet for a couple minutes now. "You don't have to if it's too much trouble."

"Ah, no, everything is fine. I want to do this. It's long past due…on both accounts." June cocked her head to the side in confusion. "On both accounts?"

Tezuka stammered a bit. "A-ah well..you know…Actually you don't know…Er..I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow. Have a good night June…" She giggled at his adorable awkwardness and smiled. "I will now that I've talked to you Kunimitsu…dream of me ok?" she asked with a blush.

Tezuka blushed also. "Always." He hung up and put the phone on the stand. He stared up at the picture of him and June and smiled. She was definitely worth it. Everything would be fine. With a clear conscious Tezuka slipped into a peaceful sleep.

June hung up the phone and turned to her sister whose head was poking out of her room to listen in. "Eyaaaaaaaaa he's so cute! I love him!" Melissa's eyes widened as June ran past her into her room, jumping onto the bed and snuggling under the covers. "June has anyone ever told you you were crazy, especially when love struck?" There was no warning before a pillow flew across the hallway and smacked her in the face. "Shaddup Melly! Least I am with a guy that's not a midget like yours!"

Melissa giggled before shaking her head and closing the door to her room." He's not even mine.." she said to herself, sitting on the bed. She thought about what Tezuka was talking about. She hoped he would figure things out soon. He was a capable individual so she didn't have doubts. Just concerns. As she lay down and closed her eyes she could not shake this uneasy feeling she suddenly had. It told her..

That something bad was about to happen…

The last time she had a feeling like this, her mother died…

"God please let me be wrong…" she prayed before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**So yea…I suck with foreshadowing in case you couldn't tell. Lol. And if you couldn't guess the next chapter is probably going to be the last one. Which will definitely end up being the longest one of the series here. It'll take some time but I shall prevail! **


End file.
